The Leopards Spots
by AtlasOrion
Summary: Steve is grieving, and it's something he just can't do alone.
1. Chapter 1

_**I finally got around to seeing The Vampires Assistant last night after months of debating whether I wanted to see it or not. I have read all 12 saga books, and I'm a big fan, it's a fantastic story. I was completely prepared for this film to be a far cry from the original story. **_

_**Going into it open minded & watching it as an independent film & not as an adaptation, I did enjoy the film. It was an interesting take on how events could have happened and it was nice to finally see Darren's characters finally make it onto the big screen. **_

_**Watching the film, something occurred to me and I was curious as to how Steve would deal with his grief if he hadn't known so early on about the Vampaneze or where Darren was, as it was in the original story. So, I decided to give it a go. The events from the film won't be happening. So no Mr Tiny, no Murlough and no Darren [sorry]. Other than that, I decided to keep the age of the characters during the film, things work better this way & out of choice, I'll be keeping the American setting, and before you die hard fans [which I am also myself] start to crucify me for that, I do also believe the original story was based in the UK, I'm just choosing to do it this way out of personal preference. **_

_**Finally, congratulations to Josh Hutcherson, who really brought Steve to life fantastically, and Enjoy. **_

*

Steve Leonard was a lot of things.

For one, he was a trouble maker. Steve was the kind of child who didn't know how to behave, who caused trouble wherever he went. He had a blatant lack of respect for rules; he simply didn't care, and didn't think twice of breaking them or, on fewer occasions, the law.

He was a bad influence with an uncanny ability of distracting his classmates from their school work, something that did not sit well with their parents.

He was unwanted, abandoned by a father he'd never known and ignored by an alcoholic mother, Steve had never been loved, never been cared for or given the attention a parent should give their child, seeking attention elsewhere and in the wrong ways.

He was a thief, stealing from his drunken mother whenever she was passed out from drinking. Taking her possessions and money out of spite, in order to hurt her the way she hurt him. He wanted to get back at her for all the times she had left him alone or hit him when she was drunk. He wanted revenge for the life she had given him, her only child.

And now, Steve was alone.

He'd only ever really had one true friend, and that had been Darren. He'd been friends with Darren as long as they could remember. They always stuck together, though Steve knew his friends parents did not approve of their friendship at all. Darren was a good boy who did what he was told and got all the right grades, and deep down he knew he shouldn't be friends with this dangerous boy, but being friends with Steve gave him a rush, the kind of rush you get from doing something truly dangerous.

He'd been so reliant on his friendship with Darren for so long, he hadn't really bonded with anyone else. Everyone knew to stay away from Steve, that he was trouble, and being around him could only end badly. But Steve didn't care what they thought, why should he? He had Darren, and he got him. He wasn't scared, he understood him, and he was his friend.

But tragedy had struck the friends, and Darren had left him alone. Darren had done the impossible and gone where Steve couldn't, Darren had died.

And Steve, Steve was grieving.

*

'Are you kidding me?! The guy's a psycho!' The blond girl said, horrified.

'His best friend just died Jenna!' her friend hissed back at her.

'So?!' came the shrill reply 'He's creepy'

'He isn't creepy; you're just being ridiculous' she said, shaking off her friends objections.

'He's creepy and a psycho' she said again, with more authority than before.

'No he isn't, you don't even know him!' the dark haired girl said, her voice rising.

'And neither do you, so why should we go talk to him?' she asked, her hand on her hip.

'Because his best friend is dead and no one else will' she said.

'Yeah, because he's a creepy psycho' the blond, Jenna said, walking away from her friend and leaving her alone. The dark haired girl sighed and shook her head, hitching her back up onto her shoulder. Jenna was completely devoid of any emotion, but they were friends none the less, and she brushed her attitude off, walking towards the boy.

He was sitting alone on a small wall near the tennis courts, looking down, paying no attention to anything going on around him.

'Hey' she said, standing in front of him. Steve looked up at the girl standing in front of him. She was a pretty girl with long dark hair and kind green eyes. He'd seen her around before, in a few of his classes and in the corridors, sometimes they'd have detention at the same time, another face in the crowd.

'Hey' he said automatically, sizing her up.

'Is anyone sitting here?' she asked, motioning to the empty piece of wall beside him. He shook his head and kicked his bag out of the way. She smiled at him and sat beside him, dropping her back onto the floor with his.

'You're Steve, right?' she asked, sitting on an angle, facing him.

'Yeah, that's me' he said, his usual attitude slipping out.

'I thought so' she said, nodding 'I recognise you from Literature class' he nodded but didn't look at her, he wasn't sure why she was here, they'd never spoke before, he didn't even know her name, and here she was, talking to him as if they were long time buddies.

She watched him closely and sensed his confusion, she shifted around 'Look, Steve' she said 'I know we don't know each other or anything, but I know how you feel. You miss Darren right?' he looked up at her, startled 'and it hurts, trust me, I know how it feels losing someone you care about'

Steve stood up abruptly, startling her. He looked down at her angrily 'No, you have no _idea_ how any of this feels, so don't come along here trying to act like we're friends or anything. I don't need your sympathy and I don't want it either, so just leave me alone!' he spat at her 'You think because someone you know died that makes us the same? Well it doesn't, you have no clue what my life is like, or how much I hate it, so spare me your pity!'

The girl got to her feet just as abruptly and looked back at him just as angry 'Look Steve, if you want to sit around and feel sorry for yourself, that's fine. But maybe you should consider the possibility that you're not the only one whose life isn't perfect. And considering your reputation around here, maybe you shouldn't be so quick to reject one of the very few people who are willing to talk to you right now!' She spat back at him. He stared at her for a moment, shocked after her outburst, then, without another word, the girl turned and left.


	2. Chapter 2

His conversation with the girl hung heavily in Steve's mind for the rest of the day. For a while he had been angry, how dare she come up and speak to him like that, assuming she knew him and how he felt. He didn't need her sympathy, he didn't need anyone.

He hated them, every single one of them. They thought they knew him, thought they could help him, they were all wrong. They were idiots, and he hated Darren for leaving him here with them all. He had to deal with all the shit day in day out now. He had to sit in their lessons, listen to those college educated morons thinking they're better than him, looking down their noses at him and expecting him to sit and listen like a good little boy, like Darren would.

He had to sit and listen to them talking, on and on about their pointless shit, civil wars and tectonic plates, equations and migration patterns. Like education was all there was to the world. Like he was supposed to go to college and get a job. And then what? Live happily ever after as a good little boy? No, not Steve, he was meant for more.

They were all the same, faces in the crowd. It was the students he hated the most. He couldn't stand them, all of them. Whining about their pathetic lives, complaining about homework and parents. He hated the way they would talk about Darren, how much they missed him, how they couldn't believe he was gone, how they had lost their best friend. They were all liars, no one knew Darren like he did, and no one missed him like he did.

He watched her curiously during their Literature class that afternoon. He didn't know why he did, or what interested him in her, but he found he couldn't look anywhere but at her. He'd never really seen her before, of course he'd seen her around, but he'd never paid her any attention. He watched her whilst she worked, her eyebrows furrowed in concentration.

He thought about her on his way home. He shouldn't have yelled at her like that, it wasn't her fault he hated his life, and she'd only been trying to help him. She didn't seem like the others, she hadn't flocked around him to hear the tale of his bite from Madam Octa, or claim she had been long time friends with Darren, seeking the attention.

She'd only been interesting in him. Not any sudden popularity that he had gained, not even any attention or sympathy that came from known Darren. She'd been interested in Steve and his grief; she'd offered her help, so why had he thrown it back in her face?

It wasn't her fault at all, and he knew he needed someone. He'd talk to her tomorrow.

*

It had seemed like a good idea the night before, but now he was here in the cafeteria, he wasn't so sure. She was sat with a group of her friends at a table near the back of the room. The six of them were chatting quietly, laughing about something and absent mindedly eating their lunch.

He took a deep breath and walked over to them.

She looked up as he approached, her friends looking too, some of them eyeing him suspiciously.

He fidgeted and mumbled 'Can I sit here?' she smiled a small smile and looked to her friends who had all started to talk very quickly and very quietly amongst themselves, whispering and shooting him suspicious glances. She shushed them quickly and jerked her head towards the door. The five girls all started to move, gathering their things and mumbling goodbyes to her.

'Sure' she said as her friends were leaving and looking back over their shoulders. He sat down hurriedly and avoided the stares of her friends. They sat together in an awkward silence for a few minutes until Steve spoke.

'I'm sorry I uh, yelled at you yesterday' he mumbled, rubbing the back of his neck 'I didn't mean to'

She shook her head and smiled 'It's alright, I understand'

He watched her face for a moment, examining her bottle green eyes and friendly smile. Then it occurred to him that he didn't know her name.

'What's your name?' he asked, trying to keep the conversation going and breaking the awkward silence.

'Apollo' she answered blushing red and laughing lightly.

'You don't like it?' he asked, smiling for the first time in days.

'No, I like it fine, it's just most people think it's odd'

Steve nodded 'I like it, it's pretty'

Apollo blushed avoided his eye 'Umm, thanks' she said. She looked up at him and searched his face. His cheekbone was still bruised and purple from the spider bite and he looked tired. She had been there when he had been bitten, she'd seen it happen. She'd been one of the first to act as he hit the ground unconscious. She dropped to his side and felt for a pulse, pulling out her cell and calling for an ambulance.

'I know you miss him Steve' she said suddenly sensing his hurt 'It's okay to miss him, but you can't let it consume you'

Steve looked up at her 'You, you lost somebody?' he asked awkwardly, not sure whether he should ask her something so personal or not.

Her smile faltered and she nodded 'my twin sister Odette, she got cancer when we were twelve. She was gone in two months' she sighed and looked away, a small, sad smile on her face.

'I'm sorry' he mumbled.

She looked back at him and smiled again 'Yeah, me too'

'I do miss him' he said in a barely audible whisper, looking down at his hands on the table 'I miss him so much and it hurts all the time, and I can't make it stop'

Steve felt an odd sensation in his stomach as she reached out and took his hands. He looked up at her, finding her fingers surprisingly cold 'I know. I can't make it go away, but I can tell you it will get better, but only in time. This isn't the kind of thing you can rush'

'Your fingers are cold' he said, looking down at them.

She smiled and pulled them away, pulling the sleeves of her shirt down over her fingers 'Sorry, I'm always cold'

They both looked up as the bell rang to signal the end of lunch and the cafeteria started to empty, filled with the sound of scraping chairs and idle chatter.

'I can't do it without him' he said desperately, feeling that dull pain that had made his chest its home.

'I'm really sorry Steve, but you have to' she sighed, and then added 'but you don't have to do it alone'

He looked at her confused and shocked, taken aback by her comment. No one wanted to be friends with him, he knew it, they were afraid of him, so why was this girl offering him her friendship so willingly 'Come on' she said, standing up and swinging her bag over her shoulder 'We have a math class to not pay attention to'


	3. Chapter 3

Steve felt better after speaking to her. After spending the last two weeks feeling and being alone, talking to someone had made him feel calmer. He knew deep down that she was right, but he had been so consumed in his misery, been so alone and so angry that he'd let it all take over him.

All the time now, without Darren, he felt consumed by darkness. What was the point anymore? He hated his life, his mother didn't want him, he hadn't seen his father in years and now his best friend was gone and he had no one. Darren wasn't here to distracted and make him feel wanted.

Everyone avoided Steve, they thought he was dangerous. Parents warned their kids stay away from Steve, afraid he would lead them down a destructive path, and they certainly didn't want their perfect little brats turning out like him.

He walked with her to their next lesson and took their usual seats. Steve had never noticed before, but they had several classes together. She sat across from him and a seat in front during their math class, near another one of her friends, a brown haired girl with glasses. He listened to their conversation, enjoying their care free chatter. He felt calm listening to them talking about the other girls' boyfriend and their plans for his birthday.

These kinds of things had never really mattered to Steve, but listening to them made him feel calmer than he had since before Darren died.

It was towards the end of their lesson when she turned around to look at him, smiling as she did. She mouthed the words 'You okay?' to him. He smiled back and nodded. It was a forced smile, and though he had only spoken to her twice, it did make him feel better to know someone cared.

*

Steve didn't see her again for another two days. He looked for her the morning after he'd sat with her at lunch but couldn't see her anywhere. She wasn't in their literature class or their art class and he didn't see her at lunch either.

He walked quickly around the edge of the cafeteria towards her friends, sitting at the same table they were at yesterday. The blond girl looked up as he approached and looked at him like he was a stray dog that had wondered in covered in mud and had jumped all over her ridiculous pink jeans.

The others all looked up in turn, the brown haired girl with the glasses was with them.

'Yeah? What d'you want?' the blond said shortly, snapping at him.

He shifted his weight around on his feet nervously and wishing these vultures would stop looking at him like that, like they were better than him 'I was just um, looking for Apollo' he said quietly, avoiding their stares 'is she around?' he asked.

The blond, Jenna scowled at him 'And what do you want with her?'

He felt his cheeks redden under their accusing glares and an angry bubble form in the pit of his stomach. If a guy spoke to him like this, he'd punch them, so why was he letting these pathetic girls do it? He knew why, because they were her friends of course, and she was the only person on his side 'I just wanted to speak to her' he said politely, keeping his voice steady.

'Well she isn't here, so isn't that just tough luck for you' she sneered nastily.

He clenched his teeth together tightly and clenched his fists, trying his hardest not to rise to their bait.

He took another deep breath, this was easily the hardest thing he'd had to do since Darren's funeral, and he wished now more than ever that he was there with him, then he wouldn't have to deal with these pathetic bitches 'Is she ill or something?' he asked.

Another one of the girls answered this time, another blond, this one with curly hair and an even worse attitude than the other one 'Even if she is, it's nothing to do with you, so don't bother asking'

He opened his mouth to speak, but the brown haired girl hissed at her friend and shut her up instantly. The girl didn't like being silenced and picked up her bag, saying to the others 'Come on, let's get out of here'

The others all mumbled their agreement and gathered their things too, still giving him dirty looks. When they had all gathered their things, the first one turned back to him.

'Look, we all know your friend is dead and everything. But Polo is our friend, now she might be falling for the whole tortured soul act, but you don't fool any of us, and we know you're trouble Leonard, so just stay the hell away from her' she said harshly, before turning away and leaving, leading her friends out into the hall.

But the dark haired girl with the glasses had stayed; she looked at him sympathetically 'Sorry about them, they can be kind of judgmental' she rolled her eyes and smiled 'But anyway, Apollo's sick'

'Is she alright?' he asked hurriedly.

The girl nodded 'She's fine, just a stomach bug. She told me to tell you she's sorry she couldn't make to today and she'll see you sometime tomorrow' she said, sounding incredibly rehearsed, and Steve got the impression Apollo had made her learn this message perfectly.

'She – she told you to say that?' he stammered, feeling another odd feeling in his stomach, identical to the one he'd felt when she'd held his hands.

'Mmhmm' the girl nodded. Steve grinned stupidly and blushed slightly. The girl laughed lightly and looked away, pretending she hadn't seen his reaction.

'Well, I should go' she said, nodding her head in the direction of the door her friends had just left through 'but I'll see you around probably, I'm usually with Polo'

'Yeah, thanks, bye' he said as she left, feeling a little happier than he had five minutes ago.


	4. Chapter 4

That night in the Leonard household was as unpleasant as usual. Steve arrived home for the routine chorus of verbal abuse from his mother. It was all the usual rubbish, screaming at him, telling him how useless and pathetic he was, how he'd ruined her life and she should've had the abortion her own mother suggested. Steve took it all as always, and then lashed out back at her. He made sure she knew how much he hated her and how much of a disgusting mess she was. Then came the mandatory tears and then she shuffled off to the kitchen and dug out a fresh bottle of tequila.

Her tears didn't fool him, he knew she hated him and always would. He shook his head as she walked away, stumbling past the sofa and headed upstairs to his room, locking the door behind him. She wouldn't dare come into his room without permission, but he locked it anyway, out of habit.

He was sick of living his life in that shitty room, brooding over Darren's death night after night, listening to her cackling laugh as she watched soap opera after soap opera, finishing the night of with an hour or two of game shows. The weekends were worse; her hyena like friends would come over, shrieking laughter and downing bottle after bottle of wine. He stayed away from them if he could, but on those rare occasions he would have to venture downstairs, the experience was never one he enjoyed.

Those women were disgusting creatures; they leered at him whenever he was around, pressing themselves against him and feeling his chest and arms, slurring their words and spilling their drinks, the kind of women who would sleep with anything that gave them a second look. And the worse part was, his mother let them, she let her friends try to seduce her 17 year old son. She sickened him.

*

The morning after, Steve walked to school feeling better than he had done in a while. Though his mother was in the usual state she was and Apollo's friends had warned him away from her, he was looking forward to seeing her, and she had given her friend a message to give him, so she obviously wanted to see him.

Their first lesson was gym, which their whole grade shared together and would be his first chance to see her, providing she had recovered from her illness and was back in school. He changed quickly, ignoring the other guys and their fake macho talk, pushing each other around and acting tough. None of them messed with Steve, and that was the way he liked it. Once he was done, he headed outside.

A quick search of the crowd of girls on the tennis courts and he had found her. She was with the brown haired girl who'd given him the message, the two of them carrying a large box of tennis balls between them. Steve watched them as they set them down and continued talking, until her friend nudged her and nodded in Steve's direction, smirking. She looked back over her shoulder and smiled, giving him a small wave which he returned.

Steve felt another one of those odd feelings again when she started to jog over to him.

'Hey' she said, coming to a stop in front of him 'Sorry I wasn't around yesterday, Ruby said you were looking for me' she said, jerking her thumb in the direction of her friend, who was talking to another girl and pretending not to watch them.

'Yeah' he said, smiling again 'She said you were sick, feeling better?'

She nodded 'Yeah, nothing I couldn't shake off' she assured him.

'I um, I met some of your other friends yesterday' he told her, trying not to get angry again, he wouldn't want her to think he was unstable, and most of the students here were already afraid of him, he certainly didn't want her to retract her offer of friendship, especially not out of fear.

Her face softened and she took his hand at the wrist again without realising, Steve's stomach tightened 'Ruby told me, I'm really sorry about them, they're over protective' she said in an exasperated tone.

'They said I'm trouble' he said in a quiet, angry voice.

She squeezed his wrist 'They don't know you'

'Neither do you' he said, avoiding her gaze but unable to concentrate on anything but her cold fingers clasped tightly around his wrist.

She slid her hand down to his, slipping her fingers into his almost closed hand 'But I want to, if you'll let me'

'But why?' he asked, feeling his own fingers warming hers up 'Why do you want to know me? No one here does, they all think I'm dangerous or something, they're afraid of me'

'And you listen to them?' she asked in a sceptical tone, giving him a look of disbelief and impatience 'Listen Steve, this school has more rumours and gossips than it has pencils, and more often than not, it's all bull. I want to know you because I know how losing the most important person in your life feels, and no one should be alone at a time like that. Plus, if we're to believe every rumour in this place then I'd better get home and take care of that baby I apparently had last summer, so you'll forgive me if I don't buy into the crap. So, do you trust me now?'

Steve smirked and nodded, she had a certain way with words, he had to admire that 'You may have a point' he admitted, shrugging his shoulders. She raised her eyebrows and give him a look 'Fine, I trust you' he said.

She smiled again and Steve thought she'd never looked prettier. He'd never looked at a girl that way before, but he had to admit, she was beautiful.

'Well good' she said triumphantly 'And I have a game of tennis to play, so I'll see you at lunch okay?'

He nodded 'Yeah, okay, just as long as you keep your friends off my back'

She let go of his hand and held her own up either side of her head 'don't worry, they won't say a word, I promise'

He smiled again 'Okay, I'll see you at lunch'

'Good, I'll see you then, bye' and with another small smile, she turned and jogged back off to the tennis court, leaving Steve's hand feeling oddly empty.


	5. Chapter 5

_This one was a complete bitch to write, considering I've a sore wrist too, which doesn't help, but I think it's come out alright. Thanks for your reviews, enjoy._

Steve ate lunch with Apollo everyday for the next four weeks. Her other friends still disapproved of their friendship and had taken to sitting at a separate table at the opposite end of the cafeteria. They would often shoot them futile glances and try to take Apollo's attention away from Steve, though she always ignored them and concentrated on him. Ruby joined them several times, engaging in conversation with both Apollo and Steve, treating him like she'd treat anyone else, and Steve was appreciative of the acceptance, though he had to admit, he preferred it when he had Apollo to himself.

Though her friendship was helping him get over the loss of his friend, and he was truly thankful for everything she'd done for him, her friendship was adding fresh worries to his already troubled mind.

He'd started to realise, over the last two weeks, that he had feelings towards her that he'd never felt before, and for the first time in his entire life, Steve Leonard was scared. He was discovering his stomach could do all sorts of black flips and odd squirms he'd no idea they could do, and only ever did them when he saw her.

He'd known since they'd both spoken for the first time that she was pretty, but he was starting to find himself attracted to her. He noticed tiny little things about her that made him smile, the way she drummed her fingers on her desk when she was bored and how she chewed her bottom lip when she was concentrating hard. He found that more and more that he felt the urge to reach out and take her hand, or pull her into a hug, wanting to feel her in his arms, or even kiss her. He hadn't told her, he was too scared to, so he kept it all inside and brooded over it when he was alone at night.

His affection for her both angered and worried him. Countless times he considered telling her how he felt, but the very idea of it made his stomach clench painfully and words completely failed him. He had no idea how he would tell her, he considered walking up to her and just telling her, or even leaving a note in her locker, but that was the cowards' way, and if there was one thing Steve Leonard definitely wasn't, it was a coward.

He'd also considered telling Ruby how he felt and asking her advice on what he should do, if he should tell Apollo or not, or even if she'd said anything like that about him, but he didn't know Ruby very well, and couldn't trust her not to tell Apollo, he knew what girls were like, they told each other everything.

The thing that truly scared him was rejection. What if he did tell her and she didn't feel the same? He didn't think he could cope with rejection so soon after losing Darren. And there was nothing to guarantee it wouldn't destroy their friendship, what if it made things awkward between them again she started to avoid him? He didn't want to be alone again, the very idea made that dull pain creep back into his chest, and that was the worst thing he'd ever felt. So he knew he had to keep it to himself, because he just couldn't be alone again or it would destroy him.

*

Apollo was by her locker at the end of school on a Thursday afternoon, pilling the books she would need for her homework into her bag and stuffing the ones she didn't need inside. It was the usual struggle with her locker door, forcing it to shut against the avalanche of books desperately trying to escape. She braced both her hands against it and pushed hard, forcing the books into the tiny space, already crammed full of old books, her gym kit and half empty water bottles.

She struggled against the weight of it, when a hand came out of nowhere and helped her force it shut, its twin appearing to snap the lock shut quickly once the door had been forced into place.

She turned and pressed her back against the locker, panting slightly and finding it was Steve who had helped her 'Thanks Leonard' she said, holding her hand up for a high five, which he delivered.

'You should really empty that out' he suggested as she picked up bag up and slung it over her shoulder, it was heavier than she expected and she stumbled sideways, Steve grabbed her elbow and steadied her.

'Thanks' she said, straightening her self out 'and yeah I know, but I really can't be bothered doing it' she admitted, shrugging her shoulders. Steve laughed and shook his head.

'How about I walk you home?' he asked, taking her bag off her shoulder and pulling it onto his own, after watching her struggling under the weight a second time. She looked at him, surprised and he quickly added 'saves your poor shoulder carrying all these books'

She nodded 'Sure, why not' she looked over to Ruby, who was at her boyfriends locker on the other side of the hall and shouted 'Hey Rubes, I'm gonna walk with Steve, that okay?'

'Sure' she said, waving them away 'me and Joe are gonna go the movies, so I'll call you later, 'kay?'

She nodded 'Sure, you guys have fun, I'll see you later' and she and Steve turned and left. They walked quickly out of the building and away from the throng of chatting students. They walked for ten minutes until the two of them were alone, and well on their way to Apollo's house.

'Y'know, you don't have to carry that' she said once they were alone, motioning to her bag.

Steve shook his head 'It's fine, I don't want you to pull your shoulder, it hurts like a bitch; trust me'

'Well, um, thanks' she said.

'Not a problem' he said. Her bag was heavy, but Steve worked out almost everyday and it was nothing he couldn't handle, but Apollo was a petite little thing, and he really didn't want her to hurt herself 'So where do you live?'

'Oh, it's about another five minutes walk away, but you don't have to walk me all the way if you don't want to' she blushed very lightly.

Steve chuckled 'No it's cool, I wanna walk you. I gotta make sure you get home safe' he said in an off hand manner, trying not to sound as protective as he felt.

Apollo laughed aloud 'Hey, I'll have you know I can look after myself Leonard' he gave her a sceptical look, smirking 'I can!' she exclaimed, mocking outrage, Steve put on a disbelieving serious look and nodded 'I bet I could kick your ass' she said defensively.

Steve laughed 'I'm sure you could' he agreed.

'Well' she said, considering it 'I could give it a try at least'

Steve laughed again 'Don't worry, you're safe with me'

She gave him a sincere smile and absent mindedly started to play with the long black hair hung over her shoulder and mumbled 'Thanks' Steve nodded and smiled. He thought her hair was beautiful, almost waist long and jet black, complimenting her porcelain skin perfectly.

'So, how are you feeling lately?' she asked tensely. She hadn't asked about anything relating to Darren in over two weeks, feeling it was best not to talk about it too often, not wanting to drag it all back up for Steve constantly. He had been a lot calmer of late, and her friends seemed to anger him less.

He nodded, avoiding her eye like he usually did when the conversation got round to Darren and Steve's feelings 'Alright, I guess' he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck 'losing your best friend hurts like hell' he sighed deeply 'I just miss him so much'

Apollo reached out and took his hand again, his stomach did another one of its acrobatic tricks and he slid his fingers between hers 'I know' she sighed 'but you're not alone, you know that, right?'

He smiled at her 'I know, I don't what I would've done without you' he told her.

She shook her head and waved his thanks away with her free hand 'Nahh, you'd have been fine' she assured him.

Steve squeezed her fingers tighter 'No, I mean it Apollo; I really couldn't have done this without you. No one else would have talked to me like you did, they all hate me' he said, dejected.

It was Apollo's turn to squeeze, and she did, forcing him to look up at her 'And we've already established, they're all dicks'

Steve smiled again, it was something she liked to see, and she too smiled 'Yeah, I can't argue with that'

She nodded her head 'Good, because we both know I'm right' Steve gave her a look.

A minute later, they arrived outside a big house with high windows and white bricks and stopped. There were two cars parked in the driveway and a child's pink bike lay abandoned on the wall. Blurred loud music was coming from inside the house and what sounded like a large dog was barking. Steve could hear the high pitched screeching of a small girl and two people arguing.

'You live here?' he asked, looking up at the house sceptically.

'I'm afraid so' she sighed.

'Sounds like chaos in there' he said, still watching the house. In an upstairs window he could see a girl, a few years older than him and Apollo doing her hair in a mirror and talking on the phone, clasped between her ear and shoulder.

She gave him a strained smile 'I'm one of four girls, five when Odette was alive, just one boy'

Steve took a sharp intake of breath and said tonelessly 'Sounds like fun'

She laughed bitterly 'They haven't paid me any attention since Odette died. Can't stand to, we were identical' she explained looking up at the house sadly.

'I'm sorry, that must suck' he said, giving her fingers another small squeeze.

She shrugged her shoulders said; 'I'm used to it' and sighed 'anyway, I should get inside, I'll see you tomorrow'

Steve nodded and took a step back, letting go of her hand and giving her back her bag, which she hitched up onto her shoulder 'Yeah, sure' Apollo grabbed Steve by the wrist and pulled his hand towards her, taking a pen out of her pocket.

'Call me sometime' she said, scribbling her number onto the back of his hand.

He looked down at his hand once she'd let go, smirking and nodded 'Yeah, yeah definitely'

She nodded and said 'Good, well, see you tomorrow' walking across the lawn backwards and up to the house, still watching Steve, who was looking down at his hand still.

' 'kay, bye Polo' he smirked, watching her enter the house and close the door behind her, giving him one last wave just before she did, leaving Steve alone, who looked back up at the house one more time before turning and walking back off the way he came.


	6. Chapter 6

_Again, thanks for your reviews, I really do appreciate them. I was thinking of maybe doing another Steve story after I've finished this one, maybe one about life as a Vampaneze, if he had been blooded when he was a teen, as the film suggests, but I'm not sure right now, I'll mull over it for a while. Enjoy._

'You gave him your number?' Ruby asked, nonplussed.

'Yeah, is that a problem?' Apollo asked, walking to the fridge and pulling it open. She peered inside and found a box of donuts, pulling one out and kicking the fridge shut behind her as she turned around, sitting on one of the tall stools around the island in the kitchen.

It was late Saturday afternoon and Apollo was home alone. Her father was working; all her sisters and her brother were out, her mother had also taken youngest daughter Katie to a dance class, taking four year old Thomas with her. The only other living beings in the house were the pets, and there were enough of them to start a small petting zoo. But Apollo's favourite, by a clear mile was Winchester, her fully grown Alaskan malamute dog, who was shadowing her, like he usually did.

'Well no, I'm um, I'm just not sure it's a good idea Polo' Ruby said, sounding concerned. Apollo could hear her sigh down the phone. She knew she meant well, but she didn't need looking after.

'Why not?' Apollo frowned. Winchester whined and rubbed his wet nose against her leg. She put the donut down and scratched him behind the ears distractedly 'don't tell me you agree with Jenna' she said angrily, her voice rising.

'No, no!' she said hastily, defusing the situation 'you know I don't, I've told you' she sighed and paused.

'Then what's the issue?' Apollo asked through a mouth full of donut. 'and anyway, it's my direct line, so he'll get straight through to me if he calls'

'I just . . . well I, I think' she stammered, trying to find the right words without offending her friend 'I just think, you should be . . _cautious_, around him, that's all' she said, hastily adding 'not that I don't trust him or anything, you just don't really know him is all' she paused and waited for her friend to explode at her.

Apollo said nothing for a moment, thinking, then she sighed and leant forwards onto the island, leaning on her elbows and closing her eyes, massaging her temples with her free hand 'I have to Rubes, no one else will and he has no one else'

Ruby scowled 'but why should that be your responsibility?' she asked.

Apollo froze 'because . . . well, I, I mean, he's- he's um, no one else . . . they're scared of him aren't they' she muttered breathlessly, trying to sound as casual as possible, and failing, miserably 'I know how he feels, I can't let him suffer!' she spat irritably.

'Is this because of Odette?' she asked softly.

Apollo felt tears trickle down her cheeks and whispered 'Yes' her voice quivering. She sighed, frustrated with herself and sat up, wiping her face and straightening her voice, determined not to cry. Winchester rested his head on her lap and whimpered quietly 'Yes, and no. It's just, she was my best friend and I thought I couldn't go on after she died, I don't want anyone else to feel as low as I did, even if it is Steve Leonard'

'I'm sorry' Ruby said, almost inaudibly 'I should have realised'

Apollo shook her head 'No, it's alright, I don't like to talk about her either' there was a moment of silence between the friends as they both thought deeply about the death of Apollo's twin sister, and the strange situation they had found themselves in 'he's not as bad as they say Ruby, once you know him. He's sweet and kind, but no one else is willing to give him a chance'

'Yeah, you're right' Ruby said, then paused again, and tentatively asked 'do you like him? Like, _like _him?'

Apollo frowned and felt like punching herself 'I don't know Rubes, I really don't know'

Ruby let a long breath out and said 'Okay' deciding to leave it there, she knew this wasn't what Apollo wanted to talk about, and she wasn't going to pressure her into discussing it with her 'I should go anyway; I'm supposed to be meeting Joe'

'Alright, I'll speak to you tomorrow'

'Okay, and Polo, I know you trust him, but we both know his reputation, just, be on your guard okay?' she said, sounding worried, as she usually did.

'Fine, I will' she promised 'Bye' and hug up the phone. She sighed angrily and slammed the phone down onto the island, making Winchester jump backwards and hide beside the fridge. She knew she shouldn't be angry with Ruby for looking out of her, but she was sick and tired of being told not to be friends with Steve. Jenna and the others were on her back about it almost every day, telling her how much they disliked him and how dangerous he was.

She knew perfectly well what Steve was capable of, having seen him in fights on many occasions. She'd seen him beating guys up for talking shit about him and his friends, she knew he'd cut lessons countless times and was in trouble more often than not. She'd been in the same detention room as him several times. He'd never noticed her any of those times, but she'd noticed him.

She was only ever in there for talking back and having a bad attitude, but she knew Steve was almost always in for fighting or vandalising school property. He always kept her entertained, even without noticing it, talking back to the teachers, acting up and messing about, even pretending to seduce the over weight Miss Devon whenever she took their detentions. And she'd always liked a bad boy.

But that was all a front, she knew it. It was obvious to her now. Now that she'd taken the time out to get to know him, to pay him attention and show she was interested in him and hadn't already made up her mind about him like everybody else in his life had already done, he'd started to let his guard down and let her in, he'd started to show her who was really was.

He was as mean or as angry as he made out. She knew he was bad, deep down, it was in his blood, but not as bad as he acted. When they were alone, Steve was sweet and caring, always looking out of her, making sure she was eating enough and that she was safe. He obviously was capable of caring, she knew how much he'd cared about Darren and how badly his death had affected him, and shuddered at the thought of what it would have done to him if she hadn't spoken to him all those weeks ago.

She sighed and got down off the stool, after sitting there for over an hour thinking. She coaxed Winchester out with a handful of dog biscuits and apologised to him, stroking him behind the ears and smiling as he nuzzled her neck. Leaving the half eaten donut and the abandoned phone and went upstairs to brood some more and wait until her older sister Lorraine, got her, she could talk to her, and she certainly needed to.


	7. Chapter 7

_Wow, I didn't realise this was chapter seven already. I feel really good about this story, every time I open word to start a new chapter I think 'Shit, what am I gonna write?' then I start & it just sort of flows, and that can't be a bad thing really. _

_Enjoy._

When Apollo walked into school the following Monday, she was a lot calmer than she had been after her phone call with Ruby on Saturday afternoon. She'd spent most of Saturday night locked in her room with Winchester and her older sister Lorraine, who had always been there for her, no matter what the problem was. She appreciated Lorraine more than she could explain. She'd been more of a mother to her for the past five years than their own mother had, choosing to concentrate on her other children and pretend Apollo wasn't there, rather that than look at the face that was identical to that of her dead daughters.

So after an evening with her sister, the dog, Apollo's favourite movie and a large tub of mint ice cream, she was feeling better and had stopped worrying about Steve. Now that she thought about it, she knew deep down she'd been stupid to even worry about it in the first place. She knew he could be considered dangerous, and that maybe he'd done things to fuel the rumours and give his reputation a basis in facts, but he'd never shown any sign of anger towards her, and she'd never been afraid around him. And even if he had scared her, when she thought about it, she wouldn't have stopped being friends with him, even then. She knew what he was really like, and it wasn't anything to be afraid of. Because she knew he didn't mean it, he was just scared to be alone, and hurting, missing his best friend.

So when Monday had finally dawned it was with a lot less stress than she had imagined, but it was also a lot colder than she had imagined too. November had rolled around and winter was well and truly on its way. Though it wasn't cold enough for a coat yet, the air still had a crisp bite to it, and she slipped on her blue body warmer over the grey jumper before she left the house and opting to wear a pair of jeans, cursing her internal heating system for being so useless.

She was just a few minutes away from school with her iPod on quietly when Steve caught up with her 'Hey, Apollo, wait up' he called as she turned and spotted him jogging up to her. She smiled and pulled out her headphones, waiting for him.

'M-m-morning' she said, failing to stifle a yawn, hiding it behind her hand.

'I guess you don't like mornings then' he said jokingly.

She let out a short laugh making Steve stomach tingle and said 'who does' in a tired sort of voice. Steve looked at her oddly, she looked different this morning.

'Good point' he said as they started to walk again 'Oh hey, I got something for you' he said suddenly remembering and unzipping his bag. She watched him confused as he rummaged around in his bag for a moment, looking for something. Then, he laughed triumphantly and pulled something out, handing it to her. She looked down to find he had handed her a pair of small, plain black gloves.

She looked down and said 'Gloves' and pulled the label off, stuffing it into one of her pockets.

'I thought you might like them' he said, scratching the back of his neck the way he did when he was nervous 'Seeing as your hands are cold a lot' He frowned and started to internally curse himself for ever thinking she'd like such a stupid gift, gloves! What had he been thinking, since when had any girl been impressed by gloves?! But then she smiled and he watched her pulling off the label and breaking the little tag holding them together, then pull them onto her hands and flex her fingers inside the gloves.

She smiled again and suddenly, without warning pulled Steve into a hug. Steve felt his cheeks burn when she did and instinctively put his arms around her, suddenly aware of the size of her chest, now that it was pressed against his own, and the smell of her hair, which up close, looked incredibly soft. He wasn't much taller than her, maybe three inches, but she felt tiny in his muscular arms. He was still taken aback when she let go of him and regained his composure quickly, hoping she hadn't noticed, but she was busy examining her hands.

She looked up at him, still smiling and Steve realised why she looked different, he'd never seen her with her hair down before 'Thanks Steve' she said 'they're great, why I didn't think of buying a pair, I'll never know' she laughed.

Steve sighed a breath of relief, she liked them 'Really, thanks' she said.

He shook his head 'Don't worry about it, it was nothing' she nodded and looked down at her hands again. She did like them, but it wasn't so much the fact that he'd given her gloves; it was more that he'd actually bought her a present, which made her smile. She doubted whether Steve had ever shown this level affection to anyone apart from Darren before, and felt highly honoured.

'Well at least my hand wont be cold if you hold it again' she said completely nonchalantly, catching Steve off guard and kicking his acrobatic stomach into life again, she seemed to be doing that to him a lot lately 'should make the whole experience a lot more enjoyable' she noted with a small giggle.

'I – I like holding your hand anyway' he said breathlessly sounding about as brave as he felt, which wasn't very.

'Well come on then' she said, holding out her hand for him, which he took with another ridiculously happy grin 'we're going to be late' they started to walk again, after pausing when she was putting her gloves on, and Steve felt strangely proud, walking with her hand in hand. She'd held his hand a few times before, when he'd been upset about Darren, but those times had either been when they were alone, or when no one else was paying them attention. But now, they were almost at the school gates and there were people all around them, other students, looking at them oddly, pointing and whispering to their friends that they were holding hands.

He should have expected it really, he knew she was pretty popular, most people knew her and liked her, and she had a lot of friends too. And it was always going to be a big thing, a girl like Apollo walking hand in hand with the school bad boy. But he didn't care what they thought or what they were whispering behind their hands. He was glad that they were looking at them pointing them out; he wanted them to know that she cared about him. It made him swell with pride inside that she wasn't ashamed to be seen with him, she didn't even let go when her friends waved to her, she just said hi and waved back, her hand still held tightly in Steve's.

He couldn't help but smirk at the shocked looked on their faces as they passed, and the way their eyes and whispers followed them. And either Apollo didn't notice, or she just didn't care, for she walked in, her head held high, and her hand in Steve's.


	8. Chapter 8

_Two in one night, well aren't you a lucky bunch. _

Over the next two weeks, as the weather got gradually colder and November wore on slowly, Steve noticed that almost every time he saw her, Apollo was wearing the gloves. It was with a certain smugness that he realised he had bought her a good present, even if they had only cost him a dollar fifty. But like the old saying goes, it's the thought that counts. And seeing her in them could not have made Steve feel better. They still ate lunch together every day, hung out between lessons and he was now walking her home two or three times a week.

But when she didn't turn up for school one Monday and even Ruby had no idea where she was, Steve got a feeling that something was wrong. At first he figured she was ill again and would be back in school the day after, but she wasn't and again Ruby hadn't heard from her. Steve was starting to worry and couldn't ignore the awful feeling in his stomach. He knew something was wrong, and decided on Tuesday night to call her. But she didn't answer. The phone rang and rang and rang, but there still nothing. He tried again an hour later, nothing. Steve was starting to panic.

On Wednesday, there was still no sign of her and Steve grilled Ruby for answers, asking why she didn't know, seeing as she was her best friend after all, she should at least know something, but Ruby had no answers for his anxieties. He even considered asking the other girls, but one look at them and their hag like faces nipped that idea in the bud instantly. Again on Wednesday night he called her, but again, she didn't answer and Steve was really starting to panic, he even felt scared for her. He couldn't lose her, not after Darren, he just couldn't do it.

Thursday brought nothing new and no word of Apollo at all. Another grilling of Ruby at her locker which ended in tears and her boyfriend stepping in made Steve's mind up. He stayed for their first lesson, hoping beyond any real expectation that she would turn up, then, between lessons, Steve walked out. It wasn't exactly hard, he slipped out the front doors when no one was looking, vaulted over the fence and was free.

By now he had come to know the way to her house by heart, and made there in just less than five minutes, jogging the entire way. The house was quiet when he got there and only one of the cars was in the driveway. There was no music playing, like their usually was, and the lawn was free of toys and bikes. He jogged up to the porch and knocked loudly on the door. He wanted for a minute, two, three, and nothing. He knocked again, louder this time, and still got no answer. And anxious ache rose in his chest and he pounded his fist on the door.

'Alright, alright I'm coming!' an irritated voice called from inside and he heard hurried footsteps coming down the stairs. The door was wrenched open and his heart leapt, he found himself face to face with an outraged looking Apollo. Her hair was down again, hiding half her face. She looked around outside quickly and seized him by the wrist, dragging him inside and closing the door behind him.

'Steve!' she hissed 'what the hell are you doing here?!'

'I was, I was worried, where have you been? I've been calling you' he said just as outraged as she was.

'Polo? Who was at the door?' a voice called from somewhere inside the house. Apollo gasped and span around.

'No one Lorraine, some jerk selling insurance' she lied, putting on a casual voice. Steve had to admire her acting skills 'I'm just gonna go back upstairs' she called, turning round again. Steve gasped when she did, causing her to clasp her hand to his mouth. When she had turned, her hair had fallen back over her shoulder and the right side of her face had been uncovered, exposing a horrible black eye that made Steve feel sick.

Steve opened his mouth to shout anything that came to him, but was silenced by her hand still over his mouth and the look she gave him. She removed her hand slowly from his mouth, keeping a finger over her own lips to keep him quiet and took his wrist, then took off up the stairs, pulling him behind her.

She let go of him once they were safely inside her room and she had locked the door. Steve barely noticed the huge dog lying on her bed or the ice pack on the night stand. He had barely looked around her room when he rounded on her, furious.

'What the hell is that?!' he demanded, pointing to her bruised eye. It was a deep purple, all around and above her eye, but also on her temple, cheekbone and the side of her face, someone had given her a real beating.

'Keep your voice down!' she hissed in an anxious whisper, holding her hands up to calm him down.

'Who did that to you?' he asked, his voice quivering angrily.

'It doesn't matter' she told him, walking around him and sitting on her bed. Winchester lay behind her, still sleeping and unnoticed by Steve.

'Of course it matters, who did it to you?' his hands were shaking too, balled into furious fists at his sides. He was panting with anger, his body trembling. He needed to find out who did this, and he needed to make them sorry. Apollo looked up at him alarmed, she'd never seen him like this before, this angry.

'I can't talk about it' she said, taking his hands and attempting to calm him 'I really can't. Will you just sit down and relax please?' she asked with pleading eyes he couldn't resist. He sighed and admitted defeat, sitting beside her on the bed.

'Is this why you haven't been coming to school?' he asked. She nodded and looked down at her lap. Steve frowned sadly and laid his hand on hers. She looked up at him sadly, and he felt an irresistible urge to protect her from the whole world.

They looked at each other for a long moment, neither of them speaking, until her lip started to tremble and she sighed sadly and scooted closer to Steve. She move into his body and wrapped her arms around his chest then rested her head on his shoulder, Steve put his arms around her and stroked her hair as she started to cry, sobbing into the shoulder of his shirt, her tiny shoulders trembling and her hands balling into fists, his shirt clasped tightly in them. He held her for a while, letting her cry it all out, whispering words of comfort to her and assuring her she wasn't alone. He pulled her legs across his lap and her chest closer to his, his arms still secured around him, Apollo now almost sitting in his lap.

Eventually she stopped crying and sat quietly, pressed against Steve, feeling his heart beating against her chest. After a while, she looked up at him and found he was looking down at her, she'd never seen him look at her like that before, so lovingly. Instinctively, she placed her hand on the back of his hand and pulled him down, pressing her mouth against his.

Steve kissed back, almost unaware of what he was doing, but taking in every detail of her lips. She was soft and supple, just as he'd imagined all those times he thought about her. Their lips moved against each other gently, caressing the others mouth, Steve stroking her side and hip. It was a sweet, tender kiss and after only a moment, they broke up apart, Apollo still looking up at him with tear stained cheeks.

'Will you stay with me for a while?' she asked quietly.

Steve nodded and kissed her forehead 'Of course I will'


	9. Chapter 9

_I'm gonna see if I can get another two out for you again tonight. Once again, thanks for your reviews, I can't tell you how much I appreciate them, and it's nice knowing who my readers are, and that people enjoy my work. _

Steve stayed with her for the rest of the day. The lay on Apollo's bed together, Steve lay on his back with his arm around her, Apollo curled against his side, her arm across his chest and her top leg rested on his and her head rested on his shoulder. He loved having her this close to him and kept his arm tight around her back, his other hand stroking her arm from elbow to wrist. He hadn't yet asked her about her eye again, he didn't want to make her cry again, watching her do it once was bad enough, he wasn't going to make it happen a second time.

They lay there for a long time, talking about nothing and everything. Whilst they were there, Steve finally had a chance to look around her room. It was a fairly large room with an en-suit bathroom. They were laid on a double bed, the television on top of the dresser opposite them. On the far side of the room were three large windows, looking out onto the front lawn. Next to the windows was a book shelf, filled with books, DVD's, trinket boxes and jewellery stands. On the wall opposite that, which was next to the door, was a huge picture frame, the biggest Steve had ever seen, filled with pictures of Apollo and her friends. On some of them she looked to be about 11 or 12. He noticed in the very middle was a picture of Apollo and a person who could only be her dead twin Odette, for the girls were identical. Her wardrobe was in the corner by the dresser and a large dog basket was sat under the window. On the window ledge was a fairly large tank, which was home to three frogs. In the corner by the window, and near the bed, was a desk with her laptop on in, along with an open school book and her usual bottle of water. He couldn't help but notice her room was unnaturally tidy.

'What's in the tank?' Steve asked as they sat on her bed eating. She had nipped downstairs during the early afternoon and brought up sandwiches, a big bag of potato chips and four juices boxes for them to share. Steve was grateful for the food; he hadn't eaten since Wednesday lunchtime, being far too busy worrying to eat.

She looked over at it and smiled, swallowing her food before answering 'Frogs. McClane, Gruber and Bill Clay' she said, blushing slightly and biting into her sandwich.

Steve laughed aloud 'After the Die Hard characters?'

She looked up and nodded, beaming at him 'I didn't think you'd know!' she said, genuinely impressed.

'Well' he said, looking around her room 'I think the die hard posted and box set sat next to your DVD player might give it away a little'

She rolled her eyes and gave his shoulder a soft punch. He gasped and feigned injury, rubbing his arm and making his bottom lip tremble. She gave him a look and shook his head.

'They're good films Leonard, I dare you to disagree with me' she threatened him, pointing a finger at his chest.

He held up his hands, smirking 'I can't, I just can't' she smiled triumphantly and went back to her food. They ate quietly for a few minutes, Winchester finally waking up and walking across the bed to her, making Steve jump and clutch his chest, he hadn't even noticed him when he'd been alone in her room. She laughed as the dog sat down in front of her, resting his head in her lap.

'Where did that thing come from?!' he gasped, wide eyed.

Apollo chuckled, scratching the huge dog behind the ears. Steve wasn't sure if he'd ever seen a dog so big, he wasn't even sure it was a dog at all, it looked more like a white bear 'He was asleep, he's tried aren't you baby?' she said, speaking to the dog.

Winchester got up and shifted over to Steve starting to sniff him curiously, ready to attack should he show any sign of wanting to hurt Apollo 'He's huge!' he exclaimed, holding a hand out warily for the dog to sniff, not yet feeling brave enough to stroke him.

'Oh he's a softy really, he just looks menacing' she assured him.

'And I'm sure those teeth are harmless too' he noted, raising his eyebrows.

She laughed and nodded 'Don't worry, he won't hurt you unless you hurt me, he's a good dog, he's friendly' Winchester stopped sniffing Steve's hand and nudged it with his nose, nuzzling his head into his hand, asking to be stroked. Steve let out a breath of relief and scratched the dog on the head.

'So he's yours?' he asked.

She nodded 'Yeah, my sister Lorraine bought him for me after Odette died, he helped me through it' she said, looking at the dog affectionately.

'I'm sorry' he mumbled 'I didn't know'

*

Steve stayed until after the sun had started to set and the house had started to get noisy around them. About 4pm, her family started to arrive home. She told him who each one of them where as they heard them come in. First was her fifteen year old sister Katie, who slammed the front door behind her, stomped up the stairs, yelling at Lorraine at the top of her voice, slammed her bedroom door shut and put music on obnoxiously loud.

'She's always like that' Apollo explained, once again lying against Steve's side, her left arm and leg both resting on him. She loved it there and had never really realised how muscular he was.

Next home was her mother, eleven year old Ellie, and four year old Thomas. Her mother screamed up the stairs at Katie for fifteen minutes before the house fell quiet again, Katie having turned her music down.

Finally her father came home, arriving home the latest at just past six. He too slammed the door, yelled at his wife, made Ellie cry and thundered his way upstairs, hammering his fist on Katie's door on the way past and slamming his own door behind him. As soon as his door slammed shut, Apollo got up.

'Come on' she said, sitting on the edge of her bed. She picked up a brush from her night stand and started to brush through her messy black hair 'let's get out of here' Steve frowned and sat up, the sudden change in her mood alarming him.

She got up and pulled a pair of jeans and a grey jumper out from her wardrobe and went into the bathroom to change. She came back out only a minute later, fully dressed and her hair tied back, she pulled on the blue body warmer which had been hung over the back of her desk chair and smiled to him. It was a nervous smile, that didn't quite reach her eyes.

'Where are we going?' he asked, pulling his jacket on over his t-shirt'

'We'll take Winchester out' she said and patted her leg, saying to the dog 'Come on Winchester' he leapt up from the bed instantly and bounded over to her, sitting patiently by her side whilst she put his collar on, then pulled a pair of black boots onto her feet.

'How are we gonna get out of here without your parent's seeing me?' Steve asked. She looked up and groaned.

'Fuck!' she hissed 'I've no idea' she chewed her lip nervously. Steve crossed the room to look out of the window behind her. She turned and watched him and he swung the window open and peered down. He smiled; they were right above the porch.

'Okay' he said, looking back at her 'I think I can get down onto the porch, then it's just a short drop to the floor. I'll meet you outside, alright?'

She nodded and smiled. Then, without warning, Steve grasped the sides of her face and pressed their mouths together for only a second, taking both of them by surprise. He wasn't sure what had taken over him, but he was quite glad it did, and judging by the look on her face, he suspected she was too.

'Okay, I'll see you in a minute' she nodded, and Steve climbed up into the window, dropped down and disappeared.

Apollo shut the window behind him and headed out of her door, down the hall and down the stairs, meeting Lorraine half way down, who was looking at her with an expression she couldn't read.

'Where are you going?' she asked.

'Walking Winchester' she said simply, nodding down at the dog who was panting at her side and looking up at Lorraine, his tail wagging.

'And would you care to tell me why I heard voices in your room today and someone on the porch not two minutes ago?' she asked, her hands on her hips.

Apollo dropped down onto the same step as her sister and looked around, checking no one else was within ear shot, then when she was sure they were alone, she whispered into her ear 'Steve was here'

Lorraine gasped 'What? How did he get in?!' she demanded.

'I let him in; it was him at the door this morning' Apollo explained, her voice low 'He came to see why I haven't been in school this week'

Lorraine's eyes travelled up to her sisters black eye 'did you – did you tell him -' she asked anxiously

She shook her head 'don't worry, I haven't told him'

Her sister sighed a breath of relief 'good, don't' she said, but it wasn't a warning or a threat, Lorraine was concerned. She reached out and rubbed her sisters arm 'okay, don't stay out too late Apollo, I worry about you'

Apollo nodded uncomfortably 'Alright, I'll be back before nine' she promised, then turned, taking the dog with her and ran down the last few steps, and out of the door.


	10. Chapter 10

Steve was waiting anxiously at the end of their garden for her when she got outside. He looked up at her and smiled another anxious smile, something, he couldn't explain what, but something was putting him on edge.

'What took you so long?' he asked as she got to him and they set off down the street, Winchester trotting along besides her, wagging his tail and panting happily. She was holding the end of his lead in her left hand, and was also holding it further down in her right, keeping him close to her, his head just above her hip.

'Lorraine caught me on the way out, she knew you were here' she said, not looking at him but looking ahead.

Steve gasped 'What did she say?' he asked anxiously.

She shook her head 'Nothing, asked who I was speaking to earlier, Lorraine's cool, she won't tell my folks' assured him.

'You're sure?' he asked.

She looked across at him with an expression on her face that said dare-you-doubt-me? 'Of course I am, she's my big sister, and she's the only person that place who even likes me' she spat with a bitter laugh.

Steve's insides squirmed and not in the same way they had when he was kissing her. This time they squirmed in an uncomfortable way and he considered for a moment whether he should ask about her home life or not. He wanted to, he'd wanted to ask her for a while, but he didn't exactly think it was a good idea. She didn't ever seem to want to talk about it, and from what he heard inside their house, he started to understand why. But the way she had got up and skipped out so quickly had confused him. But he wanted to be there for her, he wanted to her know that he cared for her, that he cared so much, more than he could put into words. He wanted to make sure she knew he was there, that she could tell him anything in confidence, and that whatever was scaring her, and what ever had given her that black eye, he would keep her safe from it, from anything. He made his mind up and opened his mouth to speak, but she beat him to it.

'Steve, did we kiss back there?' she asked, suddenly, coming to a stop and holding her hands up in front of her, Winchester stopping too. Her eyebrows were furrowed and she looked confused, as if she were wondering whether she had imagined it or not.

'Uh, yeah we did, twice' he said, nodding.

She nodded and turned back around and started to walk again mumbling to herself 'right, right, I thought we did' Steve followed.

His stomach was in a nervous knot 'is that a err, problem?' he asked.

She span around instantly and grabbed his arm 'Oh no, no Steve I didn't mean it like that all. This has just been a really long, strange week for me' she said, her eyes pleading with him to understand. His heart gave a jolt when he saw the look on her face, reaching out to him, needing him.

'I'm sorry, I shouldn't have asked that' he said, feeling ashamed of himself. She smiled and assured him it was fine, sliding her hand down his arm and into his, her fingers cold again, he squeezed them and attempted to warm her hand.

'You forgot your gloves' he teased.

She laughed lightly 'Yeah, they're in my bag, sorry' she said, giving him a grin.

He shook his head 'Don't worry about it'

When they arrived at the park a few minutes later, she let Winchester off his lead and pulled a small red ball out of the pocket of her body warmer and through it out into the darkness, the dog barked loudly and bounded off after it, wagging his tail madly. He was a lot better behaved than Steve expected for a dog of his size, he expected him to drag them both around and cause all sorts of trouble, but he was incredibly obedient and followed Apollo's every command, behaving perfectly. She never had to tell him once.

Watching him running across the field, the two teens walked over to the swing set and took seats beside each other.

'So' Steve said, watching her swing back and forth gently, her feet just brushing the floor 'you gonna tell me who gave you that black eye?' he asked.

She smiled a tired smile and shook her head, throwing the ball that Winchester had just brought back; he ran out after it again 'I told you I can't'

'Why not?' he asked, getting wound up again 'I wanna know who did it Apollo'

She sighed deeply 'Steve, I really can't, it'll just mean more trouble for me' she explained wearily.

'I won't let anything hurt you, just tell me who did it, please' he pleaded with her.

She shook her head and threw the ball again 'You don't understand, this is complicated'

'Then help me understand' he said, pleading with her again. He got to his feet and knelt in front of her, holding her arms just above her elbow and giving her a little shake. He could tell something was seriously up and just wanted to help, but there was only so much he could do unless she let him.

'I want to help Polo, that's all, I just wanna help' he whispered.

A tear rolled down her cheek and she quickly wiped it away, looking down at her lap, determined to avoid his gaze. She opened her mouth and in a barely audible whisper said; 'it was my dad'

Steve felt a hot wave of rage surge through him, and it was all he could to do keep himself from exploding, running back to her house and beating the shit out of her pathetic excuse of a father 'Why?' he asked, voice quivering with anger.

'I gave him cheek!' she laughed bitterly, running her fingers through the pony tail hung over her shoulder 'I talked back to him, and I got this' she said, lip trembling and pointing to her eye 'I learned my lesson'

'He can't do that! I'll kill him!' he burst out, his rage threatening to tip over the edge.

She looked up at him, her eyes serious and threatening 'No Steve, you can't even talk about this to anyone, let alone my parents, I'd never forgive you' she said, her voice low, dangerous. Her words hit him hard and he clenched his jaw, realising he'd been beaten 'anyway, don't worry, Winchester bit him' she said, smiling at the dog who was sitting ten feet away with his ball clasped between his teeth.

'You can't go home' he said simply.

She shook her head and laughed sarcastically 'Yeah, cause that's gonna help the situation, me not coming home' she stood up and called Winchester over, reattaching his lead as Steve stood up too.

'I have to go' she said, still attaching his lead.

'Now?'

'Yes now' she said straightening herself up.

'Well, are you gonna be okay?' he asked. He really didn't think he should let her go home, and he wanted to stay with her, that way he'd know she was safe, but he knew how strong minded and stubborn she was, she'd never go with him, or let him stay with her.

'I'll be fine' she smiled, walking out of the park with him 'Winchester's with me all the time, nothing to worry about' she said confidently.

'Well alright, but I really don't like this' he said, making sure she knew how he felt. She stopped and turned to face him.

'I know, but I'll be fine, I promise'

He nodded solemnly 'Alright, I suppose' and she smiled. And this time it was her who leant in, and pressed their mouths together. Steve moved quickly and grabbed her by the waist, pulling her against his chest and holding her there, kissing her hard. At first it was chaste, simple, but soon it became deeper and mouths moved and lips danced with a simple fluidity, mouths opening but no tongue daring to take the next step.

They broke apart, both smiling sheepishly, foreheads pressed together. Eventually, and despite every atom of her body telling her not to, she pulled away.

'I really gotta go' she whispered, he nodded sadly 'Will you call me tomorrow night?'

'Of course I will' he promised.

'Alright, well I'll speak to you tomorrow'

He nodded again and stroked Winchester one last time ' 'Kay, goodnight Polo'

'Goodnight' she whispered, then turned and left for home.


	11. Chapter 11

_Hmm, I feel I may have been robbed, if you catch my drift, which you probably won't. But anyway, the usual, thanks for the reviews, I love reading them and on with the chapter. I'm sorry this is a weak one; I've finally decided how this is going to end, after much deliberation. So now I have a set direction to go in, but I'm not sure how many more chapters there'll be. I'm aiming to have it all wrapped up at 20. I'm still deciding the finer details of the ending, so it may not be a happy one, you'll have to find out, enjoy. _

Talking to Steve over the weekend made Apollo feel a lot better than she had done all week. It saved her the boredom of being locked in her room all weekend with only the frogs and her dog to keep her company, along with Lorraine's occasional visits. And there were only so many times she could watch her favourite movies before she got bored of them. So it was a welcome break from routine when Steve called her on Saturday evening.

He stayed on the phone with her for hours, until the sun had set and the moon was shinning bright. They finally hung up at well past midnight, after Steve had made her promise she'd be in school on Monday, and she made him promise he wouldn't sneak out of school to see her again. Though he enjoyed talking with her all night, Steve had an unsettled night.

He lay on his bed, curtains open, the silvery moonlight cast across his face and chest. He was smiling, that same wishful smile he smiled when reading his vampire books, like he was home. He fantasised about being a great and powerful vampire, leading an army of bloody thirsty nocturnal warriors. He dreamt of blood, pools of blood, of drinking the blood of humans. Of being powerful and feared, completely untouchable. But this time it was different, this time he wasn't alone. His vampirette was beside him, leading the scores of vampires with him, Apollo. She was in her place, by his side as his queen. He imagined them both standing on a hill in the darkness, the moon beaming its light down on them. Their troops stood below them, looking up, adoring them, reading to follow their every command, weapons raised, fists in the air, screaming their approval. She looked more beautiful than ever, porcelain pale skin, jet black hair hung magnificently over her shoulders, and ruby red lips, begging for blood. She was dressed seductively, black skin tight skirt coming down to her knees, high heeled purple shoes and a purple silk shirt, the top buttons open, leaving an impressive cleavage on show. He saw in their eyes, the vampires down there, that they all thought the same, thought she was beautiful, they all wanted her. But none dared touch, for they knew she was Steve's and no one dared cross him.

When Steve finally drifted off into a deep sleep, he dreamt of them together, killing. He watched as she drained a faceless man of his blood, holding him down with her unnatural strength, resisting his futile struggling and taking the life from him. As Steve watched, he reached out to touch her, grabbing her hips and running his fingers through her hair, caressing her every curve and finding himself becoming aroused. Then, as his lifeless corpse fell to the ground, a mere bag of bones, she turned to Steve, her lord, her lover, and with the blood still warm on her lips, she pressed her mouth onto his, and Steve felt the blood in her mouth and on her tongue. Then, as he lay her down and undressed her, they threw the corpse away from them, and made love.

*

Steve still had a smirk on his face when he walked into school on Monday morning. He'd thoroughly enjoyed the dream, so much so that he'd had to have a cold shower on Sunday morning, to calm himself down and he was more than ever excited to see her again. Though she had promised him she'd be there, he doubted that black eye would be gone and wondered if she would actually turn up. But when he walked into their math class that morning to find the students sitting around and chatting, waiting for Mr Harrington to arrive, he found she was already there, sat on her desk chatting to a girl with brown hair that he didn't know.

He smiled to himself and made his way over to her, weaving his way through the desks and students, who as usual, dodged out of his way. Her friend looked at him like he was something stuck to the bottom of her shoe and shot Apollo a questioning glance.

Apollo frowned at her and said 'I'll talk to you later Lisa' he girl mumbled something and stalked off unhappily, throwing dirty glances at them both back over her shoulder.

'Ignore her' she said, taking hold of his wrist and pulling him back around to face her, as he had been watching Lisa across the room, looking angry again.

'Sorry' he said, turning back to her.

She shook her head 'Don't worry about it'

Looking up at her face, he realised her black eye was gone, and considering how purple it had been when he'd last seen her, and having been on both the giving and receiving end of many black eyes, he knew there was no way hers would actually be gone so quickly.

'Where'd it go?' he asked, slyly pointing to her eye, making sure no one knew what they were on about.

She gave him a wink and mischievous grin and leaned in to whisper into his ear 'Lorraine's stage make up, works wonders'

Steve laughed 'Nice work Polo'

She smiled a smug smile and flicked her hair back over her shoulder in a very dramatic way and said 'well, it has been known to happen'

'Rarely though' he said walking around her and sitting in her seat.

She gasped and laughed, slapping his shoulder. Steve laughed and batted her hand away easily. He dropped his bag down onto the floor and leant back in her chair, his hands behind his head 'I didn't think you'd come in today' he said casually.

She raised her eyebrows 'I promised you didn't I?' she said. His heart swelled and he couldn't have wiped the grin off his face even if he tried. She saw how happy he was and smiled too, trying to hide her face behind her hair.

'Alright, alright settle down' Mr Harrington's drawling voice said as he slouched in through the door and let it swing shut behind him. The class groaned and started to drag themselves over to their seats. Steve got up and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder.

He placed his hand on Apollo's hip and noticed the eyes of the girl sat beside her widen and the edges of her mouth curl up into a smirk. Apollo gave her the finger, Steve snorted his laughter 'I'll see you later' he whispered, still laughing.

Apollo nodded and slipped into her seat. The class fell silent and Steve had already started to carve into his desk when Harrington started to write on the board.

He turned back to the class and looked right at Apollo 'Nice of you to join us again Miss Hudson' he said with mock surprise.

'Well' she said casually 'Another week without your unchallenged wit and debonair charm, how could I cope' she said dryly and with an innocent smile. The class laughed and Harrington's face creased, clearly, he had no come back for that.

'Books open now! And today we're studying algebra' he snapped at them, slamming his chalk down onto the desk, obviously still embarrassed. The class groaned collectively, it was going to be a long hour.


	12. Chapter 12

_I apologise if this one sounds or comes across as inappropriate in places, but I'm trying to get into the mindset of a sixteen year old boy, work with me here. _

As school wore on throughout November and then into December, more and more people started to notice how close Steve and Apollo were becoming. Rumours were starting to spread and more often than not, gossiping whispers followed them down corridors and across the canteen. Steve tried his hardest not to be bothered by it or let their ridiculous gossiping get to him, but the more it happened, the more it did bother him. He wasn't like her, he couldn't just brush it off like she could, and he'd spent his whole life being talked about in whispers.

He felt himself starting to get angry whenever the whispers would start, and he knew Apollo didn't like it when he did. He was like his old self again, always angry, and wanting to punch those arrogant bastards in the face and it was all he could do to stop himself, even with her help.

Something else that was bothering him was Apollo herself. Something was up, and he couldn't quite put his finger on what, no matter how hard he tried. She seemed tired all the time, and anxious too, like something was worrying her, but of course every time he mentioned it to her, she denied any knowledge of what he was talking about and hastily changed the subject, sometimes even losing her temper with him and walking away angrily, only to come back to him an hour later to apologise and needing a hug, which he was only too happy to give her. He always felt a moment of calm having her in his arms, because she was definitely safe there, and he could stop worrying, if only for those few seconds.

Her black eye was now gone and she had stopped wearing the make up, which he was thankful for, but these new problems weren't making him feel any better.

One thing that did make him feel better than he had done in a long time was that he was sure she was interested in him, and interested in him as more than a friend. They had now progressed from just holding hands, and as Steve was now walking her home five days a week, he was also doing so with his arm around her waist, his hand on her hip. They flirted a lot on those walks home, Steve sometimes tickling her sides, making her squeal with laughter until she wormed her way free of him, which most of the time, he let her.

They kissed a lot too, something Steve greatly enjoyed every time. She was very gentle, something Steve liked a lot, but often, he couldn't help but he a little rough with her. He loved nothing more than taking a firm grip on her hips and biting her lip, no too hard of course. And much to Steve's delight, she seemed to enjoy it. He felt her smile against his own lips and tug on his hair, and that pleased him, a lot.

He was having more and more dreams and fantasies about her, always vampire themed as usual and always with blood involved. As they grew closer, his dreams got more graphic, until he could perfectly recite the places he'd touched her as they slept together, and how she would dig her long, sharp fingernails into his back, then lick the his blood off her fingers. Those dreams always excited him, blood and Apollo, there was nothing he desired more.

He didn't dare tell her about any of it. About how he dreamt of her naked and drinking blood as he watched over, or as his vampire queen, adored by thousands but touched by none but him, and especially not of the times he dreamt of them together, naked bodied pressed together, Steve inside her, making her call his name out in ecstasy. But the thing he wanted her to know least of all was how many times he had touched himself, given himself relief, with her in mind.

*

'Steve?! Steve, are you listening to me?' Apollo said, waving her hand in front of his glazed over eyes. He blinked and snapped back to reality, looking at her slightly confused for a second and smiled at her.

'Sorry, I was miles away' he smiled, rubbing the side of his head absent mindedly, as though he had just woken from a deep sleep.

She tutted and rolled her eyes, mumbling 'boys'

'What were you saying?' he asked, jabbing his spoon into her jello and eating a spoonful with a smug smirk on his face, laughing at the shocked expression on her face and the sharp kick to the shin it earned him.

'I was asking you, if you wanted to come over to my house on Saturday night, everyone's going out of town to visit my aunt so we'll have the place to ourselves' she said casually, not looking at him, but instead looking at the sandwich she was adding mayonnaise to. Steve's stomach did yet another back flip, he would be alone with Apollo and his sexual urges, he didn't know if he'd be able to control himself 'but seeing as you ate my jello, I don't think you deserve to come' she said smirking and looking at him out of the corner of her eye.

'Well now you've invited me, you can't take it back' he said smugly, stealing a quick kiss on her cheek which made her blush and fail to suppress a smile, and the people on the tables closest gasp and start to whisper frantically to their friends.

She shrugged her shoulders and gave him a sweet smile 'I'll just leave Winchester on the porch to greet you' she said before biting into her dinner, then giving him another sweet smile, resting her head on her fist and looking incredibly innocent. Steve was slightly shocked how innocent she looked, he'd seen her verbally abusing several teachers and even elbowing another girl in the ribs during a soccer game, and now she looked as though butter wouldn't melt.

'Sometimes Polo, you really scare me' he said, using his spoon as a pointer and taking another spoon full of her jello. She frowned again and pinched him on the side hard, making him jerk away from her and laugh, grabbing her wrist and holding her hand away from him.

'I don't scare you' she giggled, now holding Steve's wrists and squirming away from him as he was attempting to tickle her again. He was obviously a lot stronger than her, but he often let her overpower him.

'Oh get a room' a voice said jokingly as Ruby and Joe sat down opposite the almost wrestling teens 'you could cut the sexual tension between you two with a knife' but she was smirking. The two stopped fighting and turned back to face Ruby and Joe. The four had started to spend more time together lately, after Steve apologised to Ruby and Joe for yelling at her when Apollo was absent, though the boys weren't really friends, they exchanged polite conversation to keep the girls happy.

'Cheers Rubes' Apollo said, turning back to her lunch and giving her friend a dangerous look.

'Anytime sweet cheeks' she said sweetly. Apollo laughed and shook her head, making her long and currently curly hair fall over her shoulders.

'So' Ruby said 'What were you crazy cats talking about before we interrupted your ever so flirtatious games?'

Apollo rolled her eyes 'If you must know Miss West, I was asking Steve over on Saturday night' she said casually.

'Ooh the whole Saturday night deal' she said overdramatically 'come nine you two will be butt naked and fucking each others brains out, I guarantee it' she said wisely.

Apollo laughed aloud but Steve didn't, his stomach tightened then dropped what felt like ten meters, because deep down, that was what he was hoping for. He was getting stronger urges when he looked at her. He couldn't help but look at the soft curves of her hips and her pert breasts. It was worse when she wore an even slightly low cut shirt, or in PE lessons, when she wore shorts that outlined her backside perfectly and left magnificently sculpted legs exposed to him. He needed her badly, and he needed her soon.


	13. Chapter 13

_I considered taking a night off tonight, but I thought better of it. Do enjoy another little insight into Steve's home life & some more development of the relationship. _

As Saturday drew closer, Steve was getting exited. He was more excited than he had been in months, maybe since he and Darren had been going to the cirque. He regretted that decision now, since Crepsley had told him and he had bad blood and since that ugly spider had bitten him. It had hurt like hell and he was unconscious before he knew it, then the next thing he did know was he was in a hospital bed with a tube up his nose and the worst headache he'd ever had. It hadn't surprised him when he finally came around to find he was alone, his mother wasn't even with him. Of course Darren had been with him later that day and they were joking like they always did.

And when his drunken mother had finally sobered herself up enough to actually come and visit, it wasn't a memorable visit for any of the right reasons. She was already tipsy when she came, her face tear stained, as if she'd actually cared he was hurt, when he knew the only reason she wanted him to recover was so she had someone to hurl her abuse at whenever she was drunk.

What angered him most was when she brought her disgusting friend, Paula with her. Paula was the most repulsive person Steve had ever met. He was positive that when she was younger she had been very pretty indeed, but the ravages of time, five kids to four men and an alcohol addiction had sorted that out for her no problem, and what was left was a whorish, clingy waste of skin with fake breasts and a lack of parenting skills. And out of all of his mothers' friends, she was the one who tried her hardest, and never passed up an opportunity to seduce Steve.

And her visit to the hospital was no exception. She came in her usual attire, a skirt too short and too young for her, those ridiculous thigh high boots she wore and a shirt that left far too little to the imagination and clung so tightly to her body she often seemed to have difficulty breathing. He had come out of his coma and regained consciousness fully during the early hours of the morning, and had spent the remaining hours being examined by nurses and doctors and was still being examined when they both arrived.

The nurses all smiled and welcomed his mother into the room, happy to see she had come to take care of her baby boy, and of course she put on the caring parent act oh so well, as she had so many times before when she'd be reported to social services by neighbours or worried teachers. It sickened him when she acted as though she cared, plumping up his pillows and stroking the side of his face. He would have yelled at her to leave him alone if only he had the energy to do so. Paula insisted on 'taking care' of him too, stroking his chest with her claw like hands, biting her lip and looking deep into his eyes as she did. He hated the both of them, and wanted nothing at all to do with them.

'You know where I am if you need anything Stevie' she had whispered to him, her mouth far too close to his ear for his liking 'and I mean _anything_' she added with a vulgar smile plastered across her painted ruby red lips, her hand dangerously close to his crotch. He had jerked away from her violently, throwing her hand away. But she had only smirked and walked away, swinging her hips as she did so.

*

When Friday finally rolled around, Steve was truly excited for the weekend, something he hadn't felt in months, and wanted to get to school to get it other with and get Saturday here as soon as possible. He got into school with a smile on his face, that despite his best efforts, he couldn't get rid of, and his stomach leapt when he found her by her locker, yawning and pilling it full of books as usual.

'Still haven't cleaned that out?' he asked, leaning casually against the locker next to hers.

She smiled, just spotting him and shook her head, yawning at the same time 'I still can't be bothered you know' she said, shrugging her shoulders and slinging her bag over one of them. Steve noticed with a happy jolt in his chest that she was wearing the gloves again. She had now abandoned the body warmer she seemed fond of, and was now wearing a smart grey coat as protection against the cold weather. He was, although, very surprised to see she was wearing a very pretty dress. It was black with a pattern of large purple flowers, he would have thought it was an odd choice of clothing for December, but she was also wearing thick purple shocks that came up to just under her knees and black boots that came up just under the top of the socks, leaving only thigh on show, something Steve approved of, but made him feel a hot surge of anger when he noticed a guy on the other side of the corridor checking her out.

He laughed lightly and shook his head, she smiled sweetly at him 'What lesson are you I first?' he asked her.

'Errr..' she said, pulling out her schedule to check 'Art apparently, you?'

'Geography' he grumbled, he had begun to hate having any lessons separate from her.

'Ahh' she said sympathetically, rubbing his arm 'that sucks'

They turned and started to walk down the corridor, past the students taking books out of or putting books into their lockers, chatting animatedly to their friends, making plans for the weekend ahead.

'Doesn't all education suck' he said.

She laughed 'Yeah, I can't argue with that' they had come to her art room 'well I'll see you later Steve' she said with a casual wave over her shoulder and she turned and opened the door.

His stomach dropped a little, she usually hugged him whenever they parted, but maybe she was just tired, yeah, that was probably it 'See you later Polo' he said, tugging on the strap of his bag and walking away to his own lesson.

*

It was lunch when he saw her again, but not in the canteen as usual. He was on his way to the canteen to meet her when he heard something that made his blood boil and his temper tip over the edge. He had been walking through a busy corridor towards the canteen, when a door open towards the end and Ruby, Apollo, Joe and another girl all emerged, Steve called her name out and she turned and waved to him. At the same time, he had been walking back a group of guys in the grade above them.

'Apollo Hudson, what a whore' one of them had muttered, whilst his friends laughed next to him.

Steve had reacted before he had realised. He dropped his bag down and turned, pulled his arm back and punched the guy in the face as hard as he could. Steve was fit, he knew that full well, and he should never have hit him as hard as he did. The guy hit the floor instantly in a pile of limbs, his friends stood in shock for a second, looking from Steve to their friend. The other students all stood around had stopped talking and where all watching the scene unfolding in front of them, most of them backing away from him cautiously.

Then, as calm as you like, Steve turned and walked away. Apollo and her friends were making their way up the corridor to him, weaving their way through the people, looks of shock on their faces.

'Steve!' she hissed, outraged 'what did you do that for?!' she demanded, taking hold of his hands and holding him in front of her.

'That asshole just called you a whore!' he exclaimed, defending his actions, his friends were pulling him to his feet, the three of them looking at him fearfully, they knew better than to mess with Steve, everyone did. And they could say what they liked about him, he couldn't care less, but there was no way he'd let them talk shit about Apollo.

'That doesn't mean you can punch the guy!' she said, but he could have sworn he'd seen a smile flit across her face fleetingly.

'You're a psycho Leonard!' the guy called as he and his friends were backing away. Steve made to take off after them, but Apollo grabbed his arms tightly and steered him away into an empty classroom, snapping the door shut behind them as she did. He started to pace back and forth across the room.

'Don't listen to him Steve, you just can't go around punching people cause they don't like me' she told him angrily.

He was panting slightly 'Why not?' he asked, still angry.

'Because you're going to get in trouble and I don't want that over me' she said, watching him pace 'and will you look at me please?!' he turned to look at her, and although she wanted to, she couldn't stay mad at him. She stood up from the desk she was sitting on and walked over to him. Much to his surprise and delight she smirked and said 'do you have any idea how sexy that was?' She had started to stroke his arms and shoulders, biting her lip and smirking at the toned muscle beneath her fingers. She couldn't believe how badly she wanted him right now.

Steve did a double take 'Really?'

She nodded and moved her hands up to his neck, seizing the back of his neck and forcing their hot mouths together, kissing him furiously as he grabbed her hips roughly and pulled her harder against him, the two of them stumbling backwards into the desk behind her, Steve leaning her back against it as he tongued her delicate mouth.


	14. Chapter 14

_I stayed up far too late writing this, it's past 1am here in merry old England. I also considering taking the night off, but didn't, I'm too kind for you lot. It's my birthday next Sunday :D someone should write me a one shot as a present or something, you know you want to ;)_

_On with the chapter, I also think this may run a few over 20, but enjoy. _

Steve woke up on Saturday morning with a wide grin on his face, and for a few seconds, he couldn't remember why. Then his memory caught up with him and he realised he would be going over to Apollo's place that evening, and they would be alone. But, he wasn't actually sure what he was going to do. He knew exactly what he _wanted, _but there was no guarantee he was going to get it, and if he was completely honest with himself, he wasn't sure on how to get it either. Much to his displeasure.

So far she had shown more interest in him than any girl had ever before. He'd never really had a girlfriend, sometimes girls would look at him, but his attitude and the way he acted had driven them away quickly. And he'd never really had any feelings for a girl before now, this was new to him, something he had never experienced before, and he was constantly afraid he would fuck things up with her.

He remembered when he had come back to school after being bitten by that damned spider. They had all been interested in him then, when he was interesting and had a story to tell, and not to mention the horrible black mark on his cheek they could all fawn over and ask to touch. Oh, they had all cared who he was then. They had crowded around him like vultures circling a carcass, waiting for fresh meet, fresh gossip. They all wanted to know him then; acting like they had been long term friends, telling him they were glad he was back, and one girl even told him she had missed him. At the time, he had let them lavish their attention on him; he had even enjoyed it, even though he would never admit that to himself. But as always, it hadn't lasted and they moved on from Steve, he was old news, and he went back to being that kid their parents warned them to keep away from. And that girl, the one who had 'missed' him, hadn't even looked at him since.

Then Darren had died and Darren himself had become the centre of a whole lot of attention he didn't even know about, and Steve was in pain, alone and angry.

He shook his head and rid himself of those thoughts as he climbed out of bed and pulled on a pair of pyjama pants over his boxers. He jogged downstairs and found his mother asleep on the sofa, lying on her back, mouth open wide and drooling, an empty bottle of scotch lying abandoned on the floor some five feet away, having fallen out of her hand and rolled away.

The house was in its usual state after a Friday night and Steve stepped carefully over the rubble, taking care not to step barefoot on any broken glass that was more than likely to be lying around, and managed to get into the kitchen unscathed. After two pieces of toast and a glass of water, Steve went back upstairs to shower and find a way to waste away the time he had before he could leave for Apollo's house, anticipating a long, slow day.

*

Finally, after what had felt like an eternity and after a day of pacing around his room, trying not to fantasize about her and ignoring his mother wailing up the stairs for him to come and clean the mess she and her friends had made before they arrived for another night of drinking, 8pm finally arrived and he could leave the house. She had actually told Steve to arrive around 8pm, but he had thought about it, and thought it was best not to arrive dead on 8 and come across and too eager, so he forced himself to remain at home until 8 and then leave, even though he considered changing his plan several hundred times an hour.

He had been hoping to make it out of the house unnoticed, and as he swung his bag over onto his shoulder, he pulled his bedroom door open slowly and quietly, grimacing every time the hinges creaked. He could hear voices and the sound of drinks being poured downstairs and groaned internally, they were already here; he'd have to get out through the backdoor.

He padded down the stairs quickly and silently, slipping out of sight into the dining room and through into the kitchen. He had almost made to the backdoor, his hand outstretched towards the doorknob when a voice spoke out, possibly the last voice he ever wanted to hear.

'Steve sweetie, you aren't leaving the party already are you?' he exhaled and turned around, finding himself facing the drunken Paula, as usual wearing too tight and too revealing clothing, this time in jeans cut so low the thong she was wearing could be seen over the top of them.

'Hey Paula' he said flatly. He wasn't surprised to see she had a glass clutched in her hand and smelled strongly of alcohol 'I was uh, just on my way out actually' he said.

She frowned and stuck her bottom lip out in a ridiculous attempt of looking both sad and attractive, but achieving only a look of a drunken whore, which wasn't anything new 'Not leaving me are you Stevie?' her over use of his name was starting to piss him off, and it was Steve, definitely not _Stevie_.

'I'm supposed to be meeting a friend' he said, his patience hastily wearing thin.

She pulled another ridiculous sad little girl face and put her drink down, crossing the kitchen to come closer to him, groping his arms, chest and shoulders as usual. He grimaced and backed away from her, pushing her filthy hands away from him, disgusted. She giggled and leaned in, her foul smelling breath hot on his face, knocking him sick and making him feel dirty 'why don't you stay here with me?' she suggested, running her hand down his chest and to his stomach 'have some fun?' she would have groped his crotched if he had not acted quickly and pushed her away from him, watching her stumble backwards and into the kitchen table. He was panting and shaking with anger, she couldn't touch him there, _ever._ The only person he wanted to touch there was Apollo, not this mess.

'Where do you think you're going?' his mother spat. He looked up, he hadn't realised she was in the doorway and wasn't sure how long she had been there either, or how much of that she had seen. And even if she had seen her pathetic friend attempting to once again seduce him, she wouldn't care.

'Out' he said through a clenched jaw.

She laughed, but it was not a warm friendly laugh, it was harsh and mocking 'with friends eh? Who would possibly want to be friends with _you?_' she snarled, a nasty smirk on her face 'you're not even worth the air you breathe' most people would think this was a harsh comment for any mother to say to her child, but Steve was used to it and rose above it.

'Whatever' he mumbled, pulling the door open and marching out into the night.

He calmed down on the walk over to her house, reminding himself where he was going was bound to be better than the place he had just left and safe in the knowledge the company would definitely be better.

It was quiet out and he met no one on his way over and was smiling with relief and anticipation when he finally arrived at almost 8.30. He wasn't surprised to see neither car was in the driveway and that there was only one light on the house, coming from the room he assumed to be the living room. He almost sprinted up to the porch and knocked quickly on the door. He heard scrambling paws and booming barks from behind the door.

He smiled to himself as he heard her voice calling 'Back Winchester, back you daft dog!' and after a moment of scuffling, she wrenched the door open. She smiled up at him, hunched over and holding Winchester by the collar as he fought against her, trying to get to Steve. A waved of relief rushed over him as soon as he saw her face.

'I thought you weren't coming' she said once they were both inside and Winchester was up on his hind legs, sniffing Steve's face and having his sides scratched by him.

'Of course I was coming' he assured her and she pulled Winchester off him and banished him into the kitchen 'I just got held up' She smiled her relief. She looked stunningly pretty tonight. Her hair was down again, and straight, handing over her shoulders. She was wearing tight fitting dark blue jeans and a plain white vest, and was barefoot. The simplicity in her outfit perfectly highlighted her good looks, and Steve felt his heart beating wildly against his ribcage.

'Well' she said quietly, standing with her hands in her back pockets 'come on through'


	15. Chapter 15

_I have a few points to make before I start the chapter. First is the content of this chapter itself. No I'm not going to warn you of any adult language and/or themes, cause let's face it; we're not children now are we? And if you are and you think you're old enough to be reading, fair enough. _

_Secondly, I battled with my own conscience over this chapter all day, so I'm sorry if this reaches you a little later than usual. I know many of you think I have it up for something bad to happen, but as I write this right now, I'm still not 100% on what's going to happen. It would be very Steve-ish for him to lose it and fuck things up right now and I know that would make good reading, though some of you would probably hate me for it, but most of us know how it all ends, so maybe Steve deserves some happiness at least for now. _

_Third, I don't think I can wrap this all up in 20 and be happy with it, so it's likely to run a few over, but I suppose that's good news._

_And finally & most importantly, I'm issuing a friendly warning. I have the final chapter written. And I was reading back through my reviews, and it seems some of you haven't read the entire saga. So I'm warning you now, the last chapter will reveal MAJOR spoilers, and I know how incredible reading the saga over for the first time is, but I'm not writing this particularly for anyone, I just decided to share, so please, I beg, you do not read the final chapter, for your own sake. The story, I can assure you will be wrapped up in the penultimate chapter, so the think of the final chapter as more of an epilogue than an ending, so you won't be left with any huge cliff hangers or any sense of not knowing, you'll know what happens. I'd just like to finish things off with a chapter explaining how Apollo would fit into the events of the saga, more for myself and the people who've read the saga. But, the decision is yours, and I thought it was only fair to warn you. Please Enjoy & thank you again for your reviews._

Steve followed her through to a dimly lit room and wasn't at all surprised to see Die Hard was playing on the large flat screen TV with the volume turned down so that it sounded as though the characters were communicating in whispers. It appeared she had been sat on the huge corner group sofa set against the wall opposite the TV, the end sticking out acting as a barrier against the open archway that lead into the kitchen, where he could see Winchester sat on the floor, scratching himself behind the ear. There was also another sofa sat under the bay window, which was littered with photographs and ornaments. And in the far side of the room was a computer on a desk, which was beside a bookshelf. The room bore all the signs of a typical happy family home, but Apollo's eye had told him a different story all those weeks ago.

She skipped over to the corner group and picked up the phone that had been sat there, as though it had been thrown down casually.

She pressed it to her ear with her back to Steve and said 'I gotta go Rubes; it was him at the door'

She fell silent and he could hear Ruby's muffled voice on the other end, picking up the odd word here and there as she rushed her words out in an attempt to finish the tale she had been half way through telling Apollo. Apollo listening for a moment 'Mhmm'-ing and 'Uh-huh'-ing every few seconds before she spoke again, saying 'right, well just see what she say's about it on Wednesday'

She listened for a few more seconds and said 'Okay, I'll speak to you tomorrow then'

Ruby spoke for a moment and Apollo laughed before saying 'Goodbye Ruby' forcibly, but still with a friendly tone to her voice and hung up. Steve was certain the last muffled words he had heard were 'use protection' before the line had gone dead. Apollo shook her head, still laughing quietly and turned to Steve, smiling.

Steve took a step towards her and grabbed her hips, pulling her into him and joining their mouths. Her hands went up to his shoulders as they started to kiss gently, first merely pecking each other, until mouths started to open and eventually tongues joined in. Steve slid his arms around to the small of her back and was rubbing the skin there with the tips of his fingers when she pulled away and stroked the side of his face. He kept his eyes locked onto hers and leaned back in, only to have her pull away again.

'Someone's eager' she smirked and Steve smiled sheepishly.

'You just look so beautiful tonight' he whispered without blushing or any trace of embarrassment.

'Well' she said, wrapping her arms around his neck 'There's plenty of time for that, but first, I want to you watch a movie with me, can you manage that?' she asked playfully. Steve nodded and she dislodged herself from him, taking only a small step back.

Then out of the blue, she slid her hand down his chest to crotch and gently cupped him in her hand, Steve hissed through his teeth 'And don't worry Steve, I'm not a tease' she smirked, before turning and walking away into the kitchen.

*

She had planned for them to watch an entire movie together, but as always, things didn't go to plan and only an hour into the movie, they were already making out, and things were already getting heated. They were both sat on their sides, pressed against each other. Steve had pulled her leg up over his hip and was massaging her backside with the hand that wasn't entwined into her hair, where as hers were on his shoulder and the back of his head.

Steve pulled away for a second, her hair falling down over half of her face and whispered in a husky voice 'you're so beautiful' and rejoined their mouths before she had a chance to answer him. Apollo had thought she could control this situation, but as soon as Steve pulled her head back to kiss her neck, she knew she had been very, _very _wrong. His other hand squeezed her backside tightly, then started to move around to her waist and up her shirt. His fingers moved in tiny circles along her stomach and chest until he found her bra and pushed it aside, making room for his hand, his thumb caressing her nipple firmly. His other hand let go of her hair, only to drag his fingernails down her body, leaving a slight tingle as he reached her jeans and unbuttoned them, sliding the zip down.

He pulled away again and watched her flushed face, wanting to see her reaction has he slipped his hand into her jeans and gently ran his fingers along that sensitive spot he knew was there, smiling his satisfaction as she groaned and tightened her grip on his shoulder.

'You're trembling' he whispered. He was right; she was struggling to breathe and couldn't stop her hips rotating against his hand, still working on her. She leaned in to kiss him again but he smirked and pulled away from her. He took hold of the hem of her shirt and tugged it off over her head, throwing it aside, quickly tugging her jeans off and dropping them onto the floor before pulling his own shirt off.

Her dizzy head focused on his body; so toned and muscled and she felt limp when his taut arms held her, smothering the newly exposed skin with light kissed, removing her bra and underwear as he did, leaving her completely naked to him, and completely his. Once she was naked, he leaned back, sitting on the sofa with his hands tucked behind his head and she didn't need to ask what he wanted. She dropped to her knees in front of him and unzipped his jeans, pulling them down past his hips and off. Shaky fingers stroked him lightly. She took him in her mouth and hoped to make him as hot as she felt. She got what she wanted within seconds as he let out a small moan and started to tug on her hair. She bit down just hard enough on the throbbing veins her tongue had fond, but almost choked when he bucked his hips unexpectedly, causing her to pull away.

She fell backwards and sat on the floor, looking at him. Both of them watching each other, panting. Steve leant down and pulled her up by the arm, kissing her hard on the lips, she opened her mouth to squeal, but was silenced as he forced his tongue inside. Their mouths became a fearsome battle for dominance and when the battle ceased, they were both gasping for air, foreheads pressed together, sweat covering them both.

'Ride me' he whispered, his voice thick with need. She kissed him in reply.

Steve lay down on the soda and pulled her on top of him. Their lips meeting as soon as they could. As they did, she could feel Steve guiding himself into position. He paused and asked her if she was ready, she nodded and braced herself.

She cried out against the pain and snapped her eyes shut, determined not to cry in front of him. Her fingernails dug into his shoulders and he stroked her hips lovingly. She gasped and let out a sob, fighting against the pain of initial penetration. She had only done this twice before, and both times had been worse than this.

Steve let her arms slip so she could lie on his chest, attempting to ease her pain and kissing her forehead, wiping tears from her cheeks. He kneaded the small of her back, settling the discomfort.

After a while, his patience paid off and her pain had eased. Once her breathing had settled and her body had relaxed, he took hold her hips and pushed her, their bodies started to rock against each other in a perfect rhythm. The room was thick with the smell of sweat and, struggling to keep herself propped up on her arms, Apollo sat up, filling herself with more of him. She could hear her voice moaning his name as she rocked on top of him, a hot tightening sensation in her abdomen, and somehow, in the midst of the madness, their hands found each others and their fingers locked together.

Apollo tried to lean back, hoping to release the sensation in her abdomen, but her energy was draining with every thrust and she was battling to stay conscious as the minutes ticked by.

Out of the blue, Steve flipped her onto her back; Apollo making a noise of surprise, finding herself beneath him 'My turn' he grunted in her ear, and she gave a loud moan when Steve started to kiss her naked chest. He slammed his hips against hers, now kissing her neck and panting with every quickening, rough thrust. He got faster. Faster.

A cry of pleasure escaped her and she gripped the edges of the sofa, holding herself up on her elbows are her body arched higher. Steve covered his mouth with hers as they both near screamed as rare simultaneous orgasms hit them. Her eyes rolled into the back of her head and for a second she felt blind, then with a few final, feeble thrusts, he collapsed onto her.

Somehow Steve still had energy left to roll them both over so his weight wouldn't crush her. He reached for the blanket hung over the back of the sofa and covered them both with it as she nuzzled her face into his neck, wrapping his strong arms around her.

'I ... I'm – I don't, it was … 'she mumbled sleepily.

He smiled and shushed her, kissing her forehead 'shhh, its okay Polo, go to sleep'

_See, I couldn't do it. I just couldn't bring myself to ruin the moment for either of them. Steve deserves to be happy. _


	16. Chapter 16

When Steve woke up, he found he was still lay on the sofa in Apollo's living room, but was laid on his back, with Apollo between his legs, her top half lying on his chest. The room was colder than it had been all those hours ago, and the television was off, he assumed it had been on a timer, seeing as Apollo had planned this. He looked around and found Winchester was asleep on the sofa beneath the window, one of his legs twitching.

Steve rubbed his eyes and leant down to gently shake Apollo awake.

'Polo' he whispered gently, giving her shoulders a shake 'Polo, wake up' she groaned and screwed up her face, batting his hands away shifting her head up onto his shoulder, getting comfortable and settling back down to sleep.

'No, no, don't go back to sleep Polo, come on, open your eyes' he said, shaking her a little harder.

She sighed and opened her tired eyes; looking up at him 'Why?' she asked 'can't I just sleep?'

'It's freezing down here' he explained 'maybe we should go upstairs?' he suggested.

She smiled against his chest 'Hmm, my bed really _does _tempting right about now' she said and giving him a quick peck on the cheek, hauled herself up off of him and sat on the edge of the sofa, stretching her back and arms.

Steve also sat up and picked their clothes up from the floor, the two of them still naked. He pulled his boxers on and passed her her vest and underwear, which she slipped on lazily, then got up onto her feet, taking Steve's hand and pulling him up too.

'Should we take the dog with us?' he asked as they walked past him, still asleep on the sofa.

She shook her head 'Nahh, he's narky if you wake him, best to leave him there' she said, and they left him as they made their way upstairs and to her bedroom, the house was silent and dark, and even though Steve had been here only once before, he found the silence quite strange. Once they were in her room, she pulled the covers back and climbed into bed, pulling Steve down beside her and covering them both up. He found her sides under the covers and pulled her closer, wrapping his arms around her as she nestled her face into his neck, smiling against the skin.

'I'm glad you came tonight' she mumbled, her fingertips gently stroking his back.

'Me too' he sighed into her tangled hair, loving the way she smelled of sweat, sex and Steve 'your family should go out of town more often' he said

She laughed quietly 'I wish they would'

Steve smirked and cupped her cheeks in his hands 'then let's make the most of them not being here now' he said, and joined their mouths.

*

Apollo felt a washed out, yet happy kind of exhausted when she woke up that morning and found herself lay on her side being spooned by Steve, who was still asleep and snoring quietly. The sun was creeping in through the slits in the blinds, making the floor and the end of the bed look striped. The door was ajar and she wasn't at all surprised to find Winchester was curled up in his basket by the window. She rolled over onto her back to look at Steve, his arm slipping around her as she moved, resting on her stomach.

She tried not to giggle as she leaned close to Steve's face, and blew lightly on him. He jerked awake and screwed his face up, as she had done when he'd woken her in the early hours. She laughed as he batted away an invisible fly then he opened his eyes grumpily and looked at her, unimpressed.

'Oh' she said, feigning surprise 'you're awake' she grinned at him innocently.

'Oh you noticed that did you?' he asked, an eyebrow raised. She maintained her innocent smile and sat up, taking his head and hauling him up out of bed.

'Come on' she said merrily 'breakfast'

*

They both ate breakfast together in the kitchen and took turns to shower, both of them feeling tired and sweaty from sleeping together twice in the previous night. The second time had been when they had gone up to bed together, and was as different as the first time as it could possibly be. Where the first had been urgent, rough and erratic, the second had been slow, gentle and intimate. Steve had been on top of her the entire time, the two of them holding hands and kissing for the most part.

So after their showers, they dressed and spent the rest of the morning and early afternoon playing xbox until Apollo cooked them both lunch and they ate again.

Whilst Apollo was filling up the dishwasher, Steve was looking at their family photographs.

'So why didn't you go with them?' he asked, admiring a picture of Apollo, Lorraine and Katie all on holiday together and sat beside an outdoor swimming pool, the picture didn't seem very old and Steve though Apollo looked _very _nice in a two piece.

'Oh' she said, trying to sound casual 'I didn't really want to, they've no time for me, I told you this'

'What about Lorraine? You said she likes you, has she gone with them?' he asked.

'No, she's at her boyfriends' Apollo said, closing the dishwasher door and setting it for a half hour wash 'she let us have the place for the night' she said, coming through into the living room to join him.

'She knows I'm here?' he asked in what he hoped was a steady voice.

'Mmhmm' she nodded 'is that problem?'

He shook his head 'No, I just didn't know you'd told anyone about me' he said, his hands feeling clammy. She smiled and squeezed his arm.

'Don't worry, Lor is cool' he smiled and turned back around, looking through the photographs once again. They all looked so happy all of the time, smiling up at him from their picture frames. Her parents on their wedding day, and the birth of each of their six children. Pictures of them growing up, on holidays and at birthdays. The ones which featured a young Apollo almost always had her identical twin in them too, the two toddlers on swings at the park, building a snowman, dressed for their first disco when they were both ten. Then, on the pictures later on, Odette was looking thinner, pale skinned and gaunt, losing her hair. Then she was gone, and Apollo was alone, holding a baby Winchester, opening Christmas presents and feeding baby Thomas. It struck him as odd how happy they always looked, her parents seemed to adore their children in the pictures, so why were they violent towards Apollo, and yet didn't seem violent towards any of the others.

'Why do they hit you Apollo?' he asked quietly, his back still facing her. If he had been facing her, he would have seen her hand twitch.

'Do we have to talk about this?' she mumbled, looking down at her feet. He pivoted his heel so he could look at her.

'I don't get it though, I don't see why they would' he gestured to the room 'you have everything, they have everything, why would they treat you so badly, and yet they seem to love the others?' his tone was starting to sound stern, and she didn't like it at all.

'I don't claim to know the inner workings of their minds Steve, I don't know why they do it' she whispered, still not looking at him.

'Surely someone would have realised by now? Taken you away you'd think?' he challenged her, his voice rising.

'I don't want to be taken away' she insisted 'I love my siblings; I don't want to leave them'

'So you let them beat you?!' he demanded, taking a step towards her, almost on the verge of shouting. He was shaking with rage and he couldn't fully understand why or how it had come over him so suddenly.

'It's complicated; you don't understand how they feel! They lost Odette, I lost Odette! We were identical, I'm a living reminder of her' she said, exasperated and looking him in the eye. She could see his anger, and she was starting to feel afraid. She wished Winchester was by her side. The holes in her story were so obviously there, he wondered why he hadn't seen them before. If she was all they had left of their dead daughter surely they would want to preserve that, not beat her around.

'You're ridiculous' he whispered 'I'd give anything to be able to leave my mom's house. Anything. And you could just up and leave here and you don't' his hands were trembling uncontrollably.

'I can't' she insisted 'I couldn't, I have nowhere to go'

Steve laughed a nasty, bitter laugh in her face 'Oh don't give me that bull Apollo, you have your sister, she wouldn't abandon you'

Tears had gathered in her eyes 'I don't know what you want me to say Steve' she said quietly.

'I don't want you to say anything' he turned angrily on the spot, considering his words before he turned back to her 'you act like you're this poor tortured soul, like you understand me and how I'm feeling, when you don't. You don't know what it's like to have a mother who doesn't even notice you're there, or a rather you haven't seen in years!' he shouted at her, she cowered away from his rage, tears spilling onto her face 'YOU'RE JUST A SPOILT LITTLE RICH KID WHO CAN'T ALWAYS HAVE WHAT SHE WANTS SO SHE MAKES UP LIES ABOUT HER PARENTS HITTING HER!' he screamed.

Her words hit him the chest like a bullet and she had never felt pain like it 'It's not like that!' she insisted.

'YES IT IS APOLLO; DON'T GIVE ME YOUR SHIT. YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND ME; YOU DON'T NOW WHAT IT'S LIKE TO FEEL UNWANTED!' he panted angrily and watched her, staring at him, terrified. His head was screaming at him to stop this, to take her in his arms and wipe her tears away, tell her he was sorry and didn't mean it, but his anger was all consuming and he couldn't do it.

'This was a mistake' he said, staring at her with his jaw clenched. She shook her head but it was no use and Steve turned on his heel and marched out into the hallway. Apollo took off after him, sobbing.

'Steve no!' she sobbed, grabbing his arm 'please don't go' she begged, but he wrenched his hand from hers and walked out, slamming the door behind him. She stared at the closed door for a second, then with a cry of anguish, dropped down onto the bottom stair, and cried as hard as she could.


	17. Chapter 17

_I forgot I'd rated my story T, I forgot to change it before chapter 15 but I've been reminded, so it's been changed now, thanks :D. Anyway, I'm rather proud of this chapter, enjoy. _

Steve was seething, absolutely seething with anger as he walked out of her house, ignoring her begging and slamming the door behind him. He didn't think he'd ever been so angry is all his seventeen years. He wanted to break something, someone. He wanted to release his rage and let it all out; keeping it inside was killing him. His hands balled into furious fists as he walked away and after turning a corner he stopped abruptly and slammed his fist into the fence beside him, over and over, both of them, until he felt both his skin and the wood splinter from the force.

Standing with his head down and his hands against the broken wood, Steve tried to calm himself down. The most frustrating thing was, he wasn't even sure why he was so angry at her. He had no proof to back up his accusing theory. He had only been in her house 12 hours or so, he didn't know her family like she did, but he had let a few photographs and his own ridiculous insecurities make a split second judgment for him.

Nothing gave him the right to accuse her of such things without a single shred of evidence, and surely if she'd lied about it and wanted the attention that came with being an abused child, she wouldn't have been so reluctant to tell him, she would have told more people, made sure everyone knew, and coming into school with a black eye had been the perfect opportunity for that, and yet she had hidden herself away and refused to speak to him or her friends, ashamed of what was happening to her.

And he should know full well that the illusion of a happy family did not under any circumstances mean she had been lying to him. He knew only too well how good his own mother was at creating the illusion of a happy stable family whenever she needed to, to keep the authorities of her back, make less trouble for herself, and there was nothing to suggest Apollo's parent's didn't have the exact same talent. And the way he thought about it, they would need to be even better at it than his mother was, seeing as they had more to lose. If she let her act slip, all she would lose was Steve, who didn't even care about anyway. But if Mr & Mrs Hudson were found out, they would not only lose Apollo, but their other three children under 18, and possibly both their jobs.

But despite his heart and his head telling him all of this, showing him all the gaping holes in his accusations of her, telling him he was being an idiot, pushing the away the only person he had in the world, the only person that cared about him had given him a real chance without having already judged him and written him off as a waste of space, despite all of that, his anger was all consuming, it was taking over him and pumping through his veins like adrenaline, and right now, he hated her. Because he was lying, she had to be. Because no one really cared about Steve, he was nothing, he was garbage and she was just like the rest of them, trying to make a fool of him.

Yes, that was it, it had to be, that was the reason she had been doing all this. Of course there had been a reason behind her randomly speaking to him and befriending him. It was a plan, it was all a plan she and her friends had cooked up to humiliate him. Make him fall for her, then pull it all out from beneath his feet when he felt most secure in their relationship. One of her pathetic friends had probably given her that black eye too, just to make things seem that bit more authentic, but she wouldn't make a fool of him, he wouldn't let her.

But still, he craved to feel her soft skin against his.

*

He wasn't sure if he was happy or not when she didn't turn up at school on the following Monday, he was still angry and felt oddly betrayed, but couldn't help his eyes searching every corridor and staircase for her as he made his way from lesson to lesson. At first he thought nothing of it, she was probably at home again, ashamed of herself, feeling sorry for herself, angry her pathetic plan hadn't worked, and the thought made him smile, but he had to admit he was highly surprised when Ruby approached him that lunchtime, surely she'd told her it had backfired.

He was frowning at her, completely confused as she dropped into the seat beside him.

'You know Steve' she said before he could open his mouth to ask what she wanted with him 'I never understand why Apollo wanted to speak to you at first. But then I remembered, she's a good person, and she was right about you, you're not as bad as they all say' he opened his mouth but she held a hand up to silence him 'but when she called me on Sunday in floods of tears, telling me she thought her chest was going to burst because it hurt so badly, I couldn't help hating you' he started to respond angrily, but she silenced him again 'now I'd be happy if you left here and never came back, never saw her again, but I know that's not what she wants, and seeing as you appear to be too busy convincing yourself everyone hates you, I'm gonna have to prove otherwise'

She pulled out her cell phone and flipped it open 'I've spent all morning trying to find someone who still had this, but I did it' she said, thrusting it into his hand and pressing one of the buttons.

It was a video, of him. It was the day Octa had bit him, all those months ago. He watched for a moment as the miniature version of himself tried to kill it with the brush he had taken from the janitor, and then tried close the window on it. He was confused but continued watching as it climbed up onto his head and bit him. Then he fell onto the floor, unconscious. The next thing to happen surprised him greatly; someone was forcing their way through the crowd that had gathered to watch. It was Apollo. He watched, feeling a horrible bubble of guilt inflate in his stomach as she pushed those at the front aside and dropped down onto her knees beside his seemingly lifeless body, feeling his wrist for a pulse, shaking him and calling his name, telling him to open his eyes and speak to her, then screaming for someone to call for an ambulance. He snapped the phone shut, feeling sick with himself and passed the phone back to Ruby. Those couple of seconds of footage at the end of the video proved it, he was wrong, she did care.

'Where is she Steve?' Ruby asked, getting straight to the point.

His head snapped round to look at her 'What?' he asked.

'Where is she?' she repeated.

'How should I know?!' he asked, outraged

Ruby stared him down, he'd never seen her look this serious 'I haven't seen her since Friday, haven't spoken to her since the two of you fought. I've called her a dozen times, I've called Lorraine, and no one is answering me, something is wrong, I can feel it'

Steve leapt to his feet so urgently he knocked his chair over backwards. Ruby was right, something was up. He grabbed his bag and slung it over his shoulder, said to Ruby 'I have to go' and sprinted from the room, knocking a teacher to the floor as he hurtled out of the doorway and off down the corridor.

'Mr Leonard get back here!' Mr Kersey called after him. Steve ignored him and ran out of the school building through the front door, scattering a group of younger students as he did, vaulting over the fence and taking off down the street.

He ran flat out for fifteen minutes, wind whistling past his face and the cold January air stinging his hands and face, blood pumping in his ears. In just minutes he arrived at her house, panting hard and gasping for breath, but he didn't stop until he was at the door, hammering it with his fist and shouting for her to open the door.

The door was wrenched open angrily and he found himself for the first time face to face with Lorraine. If he hadn't already known, he would have guessed they were sisters. They had the same shaped face and the same green eyes, though Lorraine had brown her, as compared to Apollo's black hair.

'Where is she?' he gasped, clutching a stitch in his side, panting.

She ushered him inside silently and closed the door behind him 'she's not here' she said quietly.

'Where is she?' he repeated.

She sighed, sounding tired and lead him into the living room 'You have a lot to answer for Steve' she snarled, turning on him 'this is all your fault!'

He didn't bother to ask how she knew his name; he just wanted to know where Apollo was, if she was safe. Looking around the room as he entered, he noticed there were two large suitcases laid out on the floor half full of clothes, books, shoes and personal effects. There were also three boxes on the sofa beneath the window, already sealed. There was an odd sort of uneasy silence to rest of the house, as though something tragic had driven the family away, and the despair still hung in the air.

'Where are you going?' he asked, eyes scanning the room.

'Moving out' she answered, stood behind him with her arms crossed. His stomach dropped what felt like a quarter mile and he whirled round to face her.

'Why?! You can't leave Apollo here alone, she hates it!' he exclaimed.

Lorraine smiled a strained, worried smile, there were bags under her eyes and she looked at though she hadn't slept in a while 'She's coming with me, we're moving in with my boyfriend' she said 'Winchester too'

'Why?' he asked, his heart still hammering against the inside of his ribcage furiously.

She sighed and sat down on the edge of the sofa, covering her face with her hands, thinking for a moment before she answered 'because of what happened yesterday' she said quietly.

'Wh-what happened?' he asked, his voice a trembling whisper.

Lorraine didn't look up, but answered him anyway 'she called me, after you left, crying. I came home to her straight away. We were in my room talking when our parents got home, she just needed someone to listen to her and be there for her. You'd hurt her so badly and she needed to know someone cared' the bubble of guilt in his stomach seemed to grow 'they heard us talking, found out you'd been here and what the two of you had been doing' she shot him a futile look 'they found out she told you who gave her that black eye she had, and they weren't happy with her, so they taught her a lesson'

She stood up and looked him hard in the eye 'Steve, she's in the hospital'


	18. Chapter 18

_Two again for you lucky badgers tonight. I hope you enjoy this chapter, I'm not sure if it's one of my favourites, but it's a big part of the storyline, so enjoy. And thank you always for your reviews._

On any other occasion, hearing that Apollo had been hospitalised in a vicious attack would have overwhelmed him with anger, but this time, he could feel nothing but harsh, sickening guilt.

'This is all my fault' he whispered sat beside Lorraine in her car on the way to hospital, his voice breaking. They were well on their way across town to the same hospital Steve had been in after Octa had bitten him. He had demanded he was taken to see her, he had to, he had to go protect her from further harm. He had been ready to scream and shout until Lorraine at least told him her room number, but she had been rather helpful and had offered to drive him over to see her.

'No it isn't' she said quietly, her eyes firmly on the road ahead of them. Now he was closer to her, he could see she had been crying.

'Yes it is' he choked, he'd never felt this numb, this scared 'you said so yourself'

'Oh no, no Steve, I-I didn't mean that' she sighed deeply, her free hand pressed to her forehead 'I was just angry, I'm sorry'

'I should never have got involved with her' he whispered, trying desperately to keep himself from crying, Steve Leonard did _not _cry under any circumstance, he hadn't even cried when Darren died. But now, sitting here in Lorraine's car, on his way to the hospital to see Apollo, he felt like all he could do was cry. He felt helpless, she was hurt, badly and there was nothing he could do to make it better. He was scared to see her, to see what kind of state she'd been left in, but he had to see her, there was no way he couldn't. He had to tell her how sorry he was, for hurting her and causing all this. He wasn't sure what he was going to do at first, maybe he should stay away from her, it would be for the best after all. But that wasn't worth considering, and the pain in his chest he got from just thinking about it made the whole thing not worth thinking about.

'Maybe I should just, stay away' he suggested, sighing.

Lorraine shook her head 'No, you make her happy Steve. It isn't your fault our parent's are like this. If you did, it'd kill her, please don't hurt my sister anymore'

He said nothing, but nodded, silently promising himself he'd never leave Apollo, ever.

They drove in silence for the rest of the journey, Steve had his head leaning against the cold window, watching houses and trees passing buy in blurs, his eyes out of focus and thinking of Apollo. It was a relatively short journey, but it seemed to drag on for ever and when they finally arrived and Steve climbed out of her car, he still had that nervous sick feeling in his stomach.

He followed Lorraine across the car park and into the tall white building, passing reception without saying anything to the woman behind the desk and walking quickly up three flights of stairs. They came out into a brightly lit, completely white corridor, with doors leading off on either side. People were bustling about busily, nurses and doctors attending to patients and fetching medical supplies, patients making trips to the vending machine or bathrooms and visitors carrying bunches of flowers and boxes of chocolates. Steve wondered fleetingly whether he should have brought her a gift or not, but the thought was pushed from his mind as Lorraine turned into the room on her right, Steve following.

The room was white, with a bed set against the back wall, sticking out into the room, beside which there was a small cupboard, and on the other side a group harsh looking machines. Apollo was lay in the bed unconscious. The sight of her made Steve want to vomit and he clutched his stomach, alarmed. The entire left side of her face was one huge purple bruise, her right hand was completely bandaged and two of the fingers on her left hand had been strapped together, her top lip was red and swollen, the bottom split and there was a deep gash across the bridge of her nose. Steve could see wires coming out from under the hospital gown she was wearing, connecting her to the machines beside her bed. She also had a tube running across her face, with two small pipes sticking out, one up each of her nostrils.

'Hey' Lorraine said crossing the room. Steve looked up, he hadn't noticed the sandy haired man sitting in a chair on the other side of the room, and he got up to embrace Lorraine.

'Steve this is my boyfriend James' she answered the confused look on his face.

Steve nodded to him once 'she's been drifting in and out of consciousness for a while' James told his girlfriend before she had the chance to ask 'she's asked for him a couple of times too, but I'm not sure she knows what she's saying half of the time'

Steve didn't care if she knew what she was saying or not, the fact she had asked for him was good enough and he crossed the room to stand beside her on the right side of her bed, leaning down to stroke the top of her head. Her hair felt messy under his hand.

'Apollo' he whispered gently, stroking her hair softly 'I'm here beautiful'

She stirred and Steve gasped. He watched her feeling excited as her forehead creased and she moved her head around gently, Lorraine and James hurried to her side too, watching her intently. Her eye lids fluttered as she groaned quietly and her eyes cracked open a little and she looked up at Steve, looking down at her and smiling.

She smiled a small smile, her face too sore to move too much and her eyes looked heavy 'you're here' she said feebly, her voice croaky.

'Of course I am' he said. She smiled again and lifted her left hand up a little, asking for him to hold it. He smiled and reached across to take her hand in his, making sure to keep a gentle grip on her fingers 'I'm so sorry Apollo' he whispered 'this is all because of me, I'm so sorry'

She smiled a weak smile 'it isn't your fault' she whispered. Her eye lids started to drop and her head lolled slightly.

She opened her eyes again 'I didn't mean those things I said, I'm sorry'

She shook her head 'it doesn't matter' her words were slurring and her eyelids were dropping again, threatening to close, he watched her as she slipped back into sleep, managing to whisper 'stay with me' before she did.

*

Steve was sat in the stuffy hospital chair later that evening, having not left her side all day. Lorraine was outside speaking to the police, giving her statement and James was stood beside Steve, leaning back against the radiator and watching the door anxiously, a look of disgust on his face.

'What happened?' Steve asked. He had wanted to ask all day, but he didn't want to bring it up in front of Lorraine.

James turned to him and rubbed his temples with his thumb and index finger 'Lor called me on my way home from work. She was screaming, she said she needed help, that her parent's had heard her and Apollo talking, and they were beating her' he paused. Steve felt sick, but he urged him on.

Talking now seemed difficult for James 'I got there as soon as I could. They were locked in Lor's room; I could hear Apollo screaming from downstairs. The baby was crying, Katie had music on, Winchester was barking. It was just noise, and yet her screaming was the loudest. I broke her bedroom door down, and they were there. Her dad was kicking her; she was on the floor, a bloody mess. I pulled him off, and Winchester got hold of him. An ambulance and the police arrived a minute later, and we've been here since. I've been here the whole time; Lor didn't want her to be alone whilst she went home and packed'

Steve nodded and ignored his urge to vomit 'Where are the other kids?' he asked, trying not to imagine how she must have looked on the floor covered in her own blood.

'With social services' he explained, a grim but satisfied smile on his face.

Steve wanted to ask about her injuries in more detail but the door opened and Lorraine came back in followed by a stern looking police woman.

'Mr Pearce, we'd like to take your statement now if you'll come with me please' James nodded and stood up, following the officer outside. Lorraine sighed and gave Steve a look of sympathy, and the two of them took up their places either side of her bed, ready for the long night ahead.


	19. Chapter 19

Monday night was hardest night of Steve's life. He stayed with her through the night, not once leaving her side. He figured if he didn't eat or drink anything, he wouldn't need to go the bathroom, so he wouldn't have to leave her. She didn't wake up again, but stirred a few times in her sleep, not never opened her eyes. He got excited every time she did; holding his breath with anticipation, praying for her to open her eyes again and speak to him, but it never came.

Considering it was the middle of the night, a lot of people were coming and going in and out of her room. At almost 8pm, her younger sisters and brother were brought in to see her, escorted by two women. One a tall pale skinned woman in a suit who happened to be a police officer, and a plump, kind faced dark skinned woman who was their social worker.

Steve felt awkward when they came in and retreated to the edge of the room as Lorraine let out a sob and pulled Ella into a hug, as Katie was carrying a squirming Thomas, who was desperate to get away from her and get to Apollo.

They stood beside her bed, talking in hushed tones and watching their sister sleep. It was a strange sight, as Apollo's bed was propped up as it had been when Steve arrived, so she was half way between sitting and lying down, which looked odd considering she was unconscious. Her family were gathered around her, talking quietly about the situation. Ella cried for most of the visit, sitting on James' lap, and Katie looked furious as she spoke about her parents with Lorraine. They left shortly after nine with the two women who would be taking them back to their foster home.

They had been gone only twenty minutes when a tearful Ruby arrived with Joe. Steve was alone in her room with her when they arrived as Lorraine and James were both talking to the police at the police station, making recorded statements for court purposes and being talked through the procedures and the charges brought against her parents.

He looked up as the door opened and they came in, Ruby was shaking slightly with a hand held over mouth and tears on her cheeks, Joe was holding her shoulders 'oh my god' she whispered, her voice trembling and fresh tears dripping down her cheeks. Joe gave her shoulders a squeeze.

'Is she okay?' she asked in a croaky voice, walking slowly up to the side of her bed.

Steve shrugged his shoulder, running his hands through his already messy hair. He was stood beside her bed, leaning on the bars around her bed, watching over her 'I don't know, they haven't told us the full extent of her injuries yet' Ruby sobbed and closed her eyes, hiding her face in Joe's shoulder, crying.

'Lorraine called us' Joe said looking at Steve and rubbing his girlfriends shoulder 'She said her parents did this, what's going on Steve?'

He sighed deeply; he seemed to be doing that a lot lately 'Yeah, they beat her. They've been arrested and they're being charged for it'

Ruby sobbed harder and turned to look at Steve 'Why? Why would they do this to her?' Steve didn't answer; he couldn't bring himself to do.

*

The night was pretty busy, not what Steve had expected. Lorraine asked him to stay by her side for the night, they needed to take all the boxes they had packed over to James' apartment and he was insisting Lorraine got at least some sleep, as she hadn't slept the night before and had been on her feet all day dealing with police, doctors and social services all day. So Steve found himself sitting alone by her bedside that night, as nurses and doctors were bustling in and out of the room, checking charts and adjusting her machines.

As the early hours of the morning rolled around, they started to fuss over Steve as well, who was tired beyond belief but knew sleep wouldn't come to him even if he tried.

'Are you okay sweetie?' a round faced dark skinned nursed asked him when she came in to take Apollo's blood pressure at around four in the morning. He knew how he must look, slumped in his chair his eyelids heavy.

He nodded and sat up straight 'Yeah I'm, I'm fine' he mumbled.

'You don't look too good' she said. She put down the chart she had been reading and walked over to Steve, crouching down in front of him and examining his face.

'I'm just tired' he said leaning away from her. She gave him a dissatisfied look and stood up, turning back to Apollo and checking the numbers on the machines beside her bed, throwing glances back over her shoulder at Steve every so often and mumbling under her breath. She left a minute later, telling Steve he should get some rest and water before she went.

He was primarily alone with her for the rest of the night, and though it was only a few hours until Lorraine and James came back, it felt like a lifetime and the thought he might go insane inside these four walls just watching her lying there, messed up like that.

It was a relief when they got back and he had someone to talk to. And oddly enough, he felt safer in the whole situation when they returned, like a child would when their parents arrived to tell them everything was going to be okay.

But they soon found out that was not the case at all. She was taken away for x-rays and a brain scan at about 9am. He stood back, terrified and watched them drop her bed down so she was in a lying position and wheeled her off. He felt helpless watching them take her away through the double doors at the end of the corridor.

The next hour of his life was the longest hour he'd ever experienced. He sat on a chair in the corridor outside, biting his already short fingernails and thinking of anything he could that wasn't Apollo. Horrible, horrible thoughts plagued him as he sat waiting for her. What if things were worse than they had thought? What if she was really, really badly hurt and what if she didn't recover at all.

He shook his head and pushed those thoughts from his mind before he threw up all over the white tiled floor. Lorraine was pacing back and forth in front of him. He wished she was stopped, the clicking of her shoes on the floor was making his head hurt.

Then after what felt like yet another eternity, the white doors opened and she was wheeled back in. His heart leapt and both dropped within in the same second. She was lay flat again and there were now more machines wired up to her head and chest. She looked paler than she had before and the veins in her face standing out. Lorraine ran down the corridor to meet them.

'What is it? What's wrong with her?' she asked, on the verge of tears. James went to her, taking her by the waist and looking down at Apollo anxiously.

The nurse eyed them all sympathetically 'It's worse than we thought, there's more swelling on her brain than we first thought, I'm sorry, we may have to operate'


	20. Chapter 20

_Sorry for the cliff-hanger, but suspense is good for you, and you know you all love it really. Anyway, I think we're a few chapters from the end, so make the most of it, it'll be over in a few days. Thanks for your reviews again, I really do appreciate them and adore reading them. There is no better satisfaction for working so hard than hearing how much you love the chapters. So Thanks & enjoy. _

'Operate? Wh-what do you mean operate?!' Lorraine's voice cracked and her shoulders were shaking, she was fighting desperately not to break down in tears.

The nurse pushed her gently out of the way as they wheeled Apollo passed them, right past the door of her room, the three of them following them 'you need to understand Miss Hudson that your sister has been through a lot, these are serious injuries'

Tears were dripping down Lorraine's cheeks and the colour had drained from James's face 'I-I don't, I don't understand, she was talking to us!' she said desperately, her chest heaving as she started to sob.

'That's not atypical for this type of injury I'm afraid' the nurse sighed, looking down at Apollo's white face sadly.

'And what does this mean?' James asked, his voice also uncharacteristically unsteady.

She was wheeled pasted the upstairs reception desk and through another set of double doors and down yet another corridor, Steve wondered fleetingly where they were taking her, perhaps to a better equipped room? But his mind was primarily on her injuries and stopping himself from breaking down completely.

'Right now, we can't say for sure' the nurse said as they turned another corner and through another set of double doors. One of the machines she was attached to was beeping every few seconds, giving Steve an awful headache 'her brain has swollen, and there's liquid around it to protect it from further harm whilst it's healing itself' she explained as they went through yet another pair of double doors and into a lift. Steve, Lorraine and James all crammed inside with Apollo the nurse and a doctor.

'But the fluid is creating too much pressure on her brain, there's too much fluid in there. And if the pressure doesn't relieve itself, we're going to have to operate to drain the fluid' the doctor explained. The lift pinged and the doors slid open and they wheeled her out and down the corridor.

'When will we know if you're going to operate or not?' Lorraine asked as they wheeled her into a ward and down to the end where there was an empty space ready for her, Steve still couldn't manage to form words.

'We're going to give it until Thursday, if she's shown no signs of improvement by then, we'll have no choice but to operate' the nurse said sternly, drawing the curtains around Apollo's bed 'we're going to have to ask you outside whilst we move her over' and she snapped the curtains closed, leaving the three of them with nothing to do but once again, wait.

*

The week was slow and testing on the three of them. Steve found himself alone with her quite a fair bit, something he hadn't really expected. But when he thought about it, Lorraine and James had a lot on their hands. They still had the police to deal with, who needed to talk to them quite often. Though they had both already given their statements, they needed to talk to Lorraine about home life and the treatment of the other Hudson children, meaning Lorraine was spending most of her time with the police, rather than by her sisters' side, where she truly wanted to be. James was also spending most of his time with the police, choosing to support his girlfriend when she needed him to.

As well as the police, she was also dealing with social services, who weren't sure what to do with the other Hudson children. Both their parents were looking likely to both be imprisoned within days for their attack on Apollo, and the younger children were all staying with temporary foster carers. But obviously, they didn't want to be broken up and Lorraine wasn't sure she could take all three of them on, four including Apollo, and the whole situation was weighing heavily on her mind, making her far more stressed than she already was.

Steve stayed by her side all of Tuesday, talking to her when no one else was around, though he knew she couldn't reply to him. He told her how sorry he was and that he missed her and that when she was better, he'd make it up to her, and he'd never leave her. He was much happier now she was in the ward, which was an intensive care ward, meaning she was under the watchful eye of three doctors and a handful of nurses.

It was also nice to have people around to talk to. Families of the other patients in the ward often spoke to Steve, usually worried mothers who wouldn't leave him to suffer on his own in the corner by her bed. Having someone to talk to, who understood what he was going through and shared his anxieties kept him sane. He was thankful for them, as Lorraine was so often busy or too tired to speak much. It was also helpful having someone keeping an eye on him, and after a while it felt as though the mother of the girl opposite Apollo was also taking care of Steve. She checked on him often and made sure he'd eaten at least once a day.

When Tuesday blurred into Wednesday there were no signs of improvement and she was still under heavy sedation. Lorraine was busy again most of the day speaking with social workers who wanted her to take the children, and she and James were trying to figure out how they could manage it.

Steve's despair seemed to be deepening with every minute and he spent Wednesday holding her hand and talking to her again, begging her to be alright. Because she had to be, just had to. Steve needed her, he needed her to get better and come back to him, forgive him for what he had said to her, for causing all of this. Lorraine stayed with them that night, the two of them fighting sleep as long as they could, until Steve fell asleep in his chair beside her bed, his head rested by her side on her bed.

Then Thursday came and finally, something got better. The doctor came to see her early and took her away again for scans. They waited again, as they had become so used to doing, the blood in their veins pumping with nerves. And when the doctors wheeled her back in, her bed was propped up again, and they were smiling.

They rushed up to them as they brought her through the ward doors 'What is it? How did her scans go?'

The doctor smiled 'The pressure has gone right down, there's hardly any liquid on her brain and the swelling has started to go down too' he said happily as they slid her bed back into place and put the break on. Lorraine's face cracked into a smile and she through her arms around James's neck, who picked her up and swung her around in a circle. Steve let out a long breath of relief and dropped down into his chair, covering his face with his hands.

'And' the doctor said, smiling wider, happy to be giving them some good news at last 'we've taken her off her sedation, she should be waking up in a few hours'

Lorraine wanted to stay with her, but they had to leave to settle where the other kids would go, seeing as now her parents were in prison, the house was legally hers, but none of them wanted to stay there. So Steve stayed, waiting for her to wake up.

For a few hours she was completely unconscious, but then in mid afternoon, she started to show signs of waking and after a while, they took the tube out of her mouth and replaced with another one with the two pipes going into her nostrils. As the evening wore on she started to breathe more normally, and stirred in her sleep every so often, her eye lids fluttering and her head moving. Then, at almost 8pm, she woke up.

Steve was leaning back in his chair with his eyes closed when she spoke 'hey' her voice said quietly.

Steve looked at her instantly, almost making his neck crick as he did. She was sat in her bed smiling at him, the bruising in her bed a lot paler than it had been when he'd last spoke to her. He stood up and hurried over to the side of her bed.

'Hey, hey beautiful, you're awake, how are you feeling?'

She held her hand out for him, which he took and laced their fingers together 'Tired' she said, still smiling 'and sore, but happy to see you'

Steve grinned at her 'I wouldn't be anywhere else'

She shifted around on her side a little and groaned in pain, her free hand held against her stomach. Steve frowned and placed his other hand on her stomach gently, she smiled up at him 'How long have I been here?' she asked, looking around.

'Since Sunday night, it's Thursday now' he said and reached up to stroke her hair.

She smiled and leaned into his hand and he slid it down to gently caress her face, careful not to press too hard on the purple bruises 'I'm so sorry Apollo' he whispered.

She looked back at him 'you have nothing to be sorry for' she insisted.

'Yes I do' he said, looking away from her, ashamed of himself 'this is all my fault, I shouldn't have ever said the things I did to you'

She shook her head 'it isn't your fault Steve. Whether we'd fought or not, they would have done this to me eventually'

'You must hate me, you should, I don't deserve to be forgiven' he said, still refusing to look at her. He couldn't face the fact that he had don't this to her, especially now that she was awake. He had wanted nothing all week but for her to wake up and speak to him, but not that she had, and though he was thankful she was awake and doing better, be couldn't look into her face without feeling ashamed of himself and wracked with guilt.

'Steve, Steve look at me' she said sternly, making him meet her eye 'I couldn't hate you, I don't have you' she sighed and looked up at him 'Steve I love you'


	21. Chapter 21

_I'm about 90% positive I can have this finished within 2 chapter, maybe 3, but I at this point I doubt that._

Steve stopped breathing and his eyes widened. His breath had caught in his chest and he stared right at Apollo, but as though he wasn't actually seeing her.

'Y-you, love me?' he said, his voice slightly higher than usual.

She laughed lightly then stopped abruptly after deciding smiling made her face hurt too much 'I wouldn't have slept with you if I didn't, is that a problem?' she asked. If they were under any other circumstance, alarm bells would be going off in her mind now after his reaction and she momentarily feared she had scared him off, but she was far too sore and tired to worry right now, and just waited for him to reply.

'No, no! no that's not a problem, not at all' he said all very quickly, shaking his head and still wearing the same shocked expression, but with a small smile now on his tired face 'It's, it's just … well I mean I didn't … and it wasn't even …. n-no one's ever said that to me before Polo' he said quietly, looking away as his cheeks turned pink with embarrassment.

She ushered him back down into his seat as he had been stood pacing back and forth at the side of her bed for the last few minutes muttering nonsense, but now with a bigger, almost sheepish smile on his face 'that's okay' she assured him 'I don't expect you to love me back right now, I understand if you don't I mean what with losing Darren and having no real family for so long I suppose it-'

'But I do love you' he interrupted, breaking her off mid sentence 'I do, I really do. I have done for months' he stopped to breath and looked at her smiling 'I was just too afraid to tell you'

She shook her head and waved his fears away with her hand 'I thought we'd already established you can talk to me about anything' she said with the air of someone of great importance, looking pleased with herself.

Steve laughed and reached his hand out to stroke her hair again 'yeah but talking to you about my shitty life is one thing, confessing my love for you isn't something I planned on bringing up in just any old conversation'

Well, it's done now isn't it, could you pour me some water?' she asked.

'Yeah, sure. I'm glad that's over and done with now, least it wasn't awkward' he said pouring a glass of water from the jug beside her bed and handing it to her.

'It wouldn't have been awkward' she said after taking a deep drink of water 'unless you freaked out' she said with a small smirk, looking at him over the rim of her glass. He gave her a look slapped the back of her hand playfully, but _very _lightly.

'Apollo?! You're awake!' Lorraine and James had just come through the ward doors and Lorraine was sprinting down the relatively small ward to embrace her sister, jumping back instantly when her sister hissed in pain. James gave her unharmed right shoulder a small pat 'How are you feeling?' Lorraine asked with a wide grin on her face, unnecessarily plumping her pillows.

'Fine, a little stiff but I'll live' she said, slapping her sisters hands away and fixing her pillows the way she liked them herself.

'I'm so happy you're awake, I was so scared' Lorraine said, again on the verge of tears, as she had been most of the week. James wrapped his arms around her middle, resting his head on her shoulder and smiling.

'Nahh, I'm a Hudson' Apollo said, dismissing her sisters anxieties 'we're made of tough stuff' she assured her. She considered flexing her muscles, but thought better of it and settled for a yawn and another sip of water and handing the almost empty glass back to Steve, who put it down beside her bed.

'Thankfully' Steve added, stroking the side of her face fondly. He found that after the horrific week he'd had, he couldn't bring himself to stop touching her, not when he had come so close to losing her. Those injuries could have easily finished her off, or at least left her either brain damaged or permanently disabled in some other way.

Apollo's face turned serious 'What happened to the others? Where are they Lor?'

Lorraine's smile faded and she shared an anxious look with James who nodded to her 'They're with social workers'

Apollo attempted to frown 'Why? Why aren't they at home with you? We can look after them' she insisted, attempting to get up from the bed. Steve put a hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back down.

Lorraine sighed and stepped up to the side of her bed 'It's not that simple, Mom and Dad are in prison Apollo and the police are still trying to figure out what went on in there before James arrived' she gripped the bars around the bed tightly, her knuckles turning white and looked up at the ceiling, as though talking to it 'Forensics are still in the house and social services have to assess whether me and James are fit to take care of the others before they let them come home'

Apollo leaned her head back and covered her face with her hands 'This is some serious shit we've got ourselves into Lor' she said, the words muffled behind her bandaged hands. She groaned and pulled them away, taking Steve's hand again.

'I know' Lorraine sighed 'But we'll get through it'

*

Ruby visited again on Friday afternoon. She had been given the afternoon off of school to come see her friend now that she was awake. And surprisingly, the principal, Miss Connor came with her. She was a friendly blond woman who had constant faith in her pupils, but had lost most of her patience with Steve and was not at all happy to see him. Steve took their visit as a happy excuse to go down to the diner and get himself something to eat.

Apollo was happy to see Ruby, but wanted to tell her what she had told Steve the previous night and how he reacted, but couldn't with Miss Connor there, who was as usual fussing over Apollo and expressing just how happy she was that she was recovering. She had also brought a scrap book of get well messages from her entire grade and some of the older and younger students too. It made her smile as she flicked through the pages; there were plenty of pictures in there too, of people holding up signs reading 'Get well soon Huds!' and 'Miss you loads Apollo!'

They sat with her for over an hour chatting, the principal telling her how the police had been to the school to interview her and some of the staff too, until finally Apollo's doctor came along and Miss Connor took the opportunity to grill him for the details of Apollo's condition.

'So' Ruby said, turning her attention to Apollo as she poured herself a glass of water and got straight to the point 'what have you been itching to tell me all day?'

Apollo stared at her incredulously 'how do you know I've something to tell you?'

Ruby laughed 'Come on Polo, I'm your best friend, if I can't read you like a book after 13 years then our friendship seriously lacking'

Apollo shook her head 'Fair enough. Anyway, I told Steve I love him' she said, then gave her friend the most innocent look she could manage.

'Whoa, hold on a second there, you _love _him?!' she asked, outraged.

Apollo laughed nervously 'Guess I forgot to mention that then' she mumbled.

'Yeah you forgot to mention it' Ruby said, eyes still wide with shock and disbelief. She couldn't quite comprehend the possibility that her friend was in love with Steve Leonard of all people 'are you being serious?'

'Well, yeah' she said as though it was obvious 'I wouldn't have slept with him otherwise'

Ruby choked on her water and spilt a considerable amount of it down her front, exclaiming 'you slept with him?!' her voice rising. They both looked up to find Miss Connor looking over at them, they both smiled to her, praying she hadn't heard what they'd said.

'Sorry' Ruby whispered, but then added 'but when did this happen?'

Apollo told her the story of Saturday night and the events of Sunday, as far as she remembered. Ruby sat in silence, listening with a frown on her face and her head rested on her hand thoughtfully, making Apollo feel as though she was retelling the story to a judge.

'Jesus Polo' she said once she had finished 'I didn't know they were beating you, I'm so sorry, I should have realised'

Apollo shook her head 'Don't worry about it, I got real good at hiding it'

Ruby looked at her sympathetically for a moment, feeling guilty for not noticing something had been up in all the years they'd been friends 'Are you sure getting so close to him is a good idea?' she asked, almost pleadingly.

'Yes' Apollo said firmly 'Yes I do, it feels right Rubes, please understand that'

'Ruby, I think we should get back to school soon' Miss Connor called from the other side of the ward. Ruby looked up at her and nodded, standing and picking up her coat, hanging it over her arms crossed over chest.

'I don't know Apollo, just be careful okay?' she asked, leaning in to hug her friend. Apollo promised she would and waved goodbye.

Miss Connor came back to her bedside to say goodbye, whispering to her just before she did and giving her a serious look 'you may want to rethink who you're getting into sexual relationships with Apollo'

Apollo watched her retreating back angrily, then turned to lie on her side, taking her frustration out on her pillow.


	22. Chapter 22

By Friday evening Apollo was sitting up in bed and asking for dinner and Steve was greatly pleased with the progress she was making and sat happily by her side as she gleefully ate a roast chicken dinner, her favourite. She was happy, chatting animatedly to Steve and her sister and devouring her first solid meal in five days. Steve didn't think he had ever met anyone who enjoyed chicken as much as she did right then.

He was surprised how quickly she seemed to be recovering, considering just twenty four hours ago she was facing the prospect of brain surgery to keep her alive, now she was sat up eating a roast and making jokes about Winchester (who she had asked about constantly for the past three hours) sleeping in James' bed.

Steve and Lorraine were both anxious to take her home and take care of her themselves, but the hospital staff weren't having any of it and wanted her to stay in for a while longer. After injuries as serious as hers, they wanted to keep an eye on her for at least another week, so they could monitor the swelling on her brain, which could go back up at any time without warning or reason. And then there were the three broken ribs and the internal bleeding she'd suffered. Not to mention the fractured nose and skull, and the broken fingers, and the bruising. So all in all, she'd been through the mill.

But they were all glad to see she was feeling chirpy again, though her face was still purple and cut up, she was now smiling, a small, sore smile, but a smile none the less.

Steve stayed with her again on Friday night. She told Lorraine to go home with James and get a good nights rest. Lorraine said no of course, but after a fairly short argument which ended with Apollo demanding that someone stay with Winchester for the night, seeing as she couldn't do it herself and felt awful because she was missing him, Lorraine agreed and left Apollo for the night, after making Steve swear he wouldn't leave her side.

The lights on the ward went out around 11 and Apollo asked Steve to draw the curtains around her bed and turn the lamp on that was hung over the top of her bed, which cast a dim light over the two of them as she shifted aside and lay in her side, using a pillow beneath her ribs to stop them hurting and pulled Steve onto the bed to lay on his side facing her. She smiled and nuzzled into him, hiding her face in his chest as he kissed the top of her head and wrapped his arms gently around her.

'I'm glad you're here' she whispered against his shirt.

'I'm glad you're okay' he said into her hair. She smiled and looked up at him. He freed one of his hands to stroke the side of her face and kissed her softly. It seemed like it had been an eternity since they had last kissed, and her lips, despite being sore and still cut, were as soft as ever and he had almost forgotten how wonderful they felt.

'Hmm' she smiled as he pulled away, her eyes still closed. They lay in silence for a while, enjoying being with each other and finally having some privacy. The ward was almost silent around them, with only the occasional beep of a machine or the ruffling of another of the patients' sheets as they moved in their sleep breaking the quiet.

Apollo enjoyed lying with Steve in the quiet, feeling safe in his familiar arms and it was while before she spoke again 'I want to go home' she sighed deeply.

Steve rubbed her shoulder and kissed her forehead 'I know Polo, as soon as you're ready, I promise'

'Not soon enough' she grumbled miserably. She was already sick of being in the hospital bed, which felt odd and the sheets were a little stiff, despite the being changed every day. She also didn't like being in a ward with other people, she hadn't been comfortable sharing a room since Odette had died. Sharing her bed with Steve or Ruby was different, and sharing a room made her feel sad and unable to think of anything but her sister 'This bed sucks too, and if even one of them starts snoring, I swear …' she said threateningly.

Steve laughed and stroked the side of her face 'Oh I'm sure you'll live' he assured her.

She smiled 'as long as you're here I'm fine'

'Except I'm not supposed to be here am I' he said with a sly wink, both of them still keeping their voices low.

She smirked at him 'Well no not really, but you are, so that doesn't matter' she said, smiling innocently.

*

Apollo was kept in the hospital for another week and a half. She would have been out sooner, but she was often doing dizzy for no reason and seemed uneasy on her feet whenever she was allowed to talk anywhere, usually being taken anywhere she wanted to in a wheel chair, which she constantly complained about, though thoroughly enjoyed it when Steve 'accidentally' crashed her into the vending machine at the end of their corridor, and often pretended he was going to tip her out onto the floor.

He stayed with her most nights, usually in her bed with her, and always to the dismay of the hospital staff who insisted it wasn't hygienic, but Apollo was having none of that and insisted he stay with her. But the other nights, Lorraine stayed with her, as both girls insisted Steve needed to at least sleep in a proper bed every so often and get the opportunity to change and shower. He had sneaked home once when his mother was out and taken some of his clothes, other than that he hadn't been home once and had been staying in James' spare room, which was to be Apollo's new bedroom. He missed her on those nights, but always ended up waking up to find Winchester asleep across his chest.

And on the night she was being taken home, Apollo told Steve to go home.

'What?!' he asked, outraged and with an ugly look of disgust on his face 'home? Why would I want to go home?'

'Because you've spent every night of the last two and a half weeks either sleeping with me or Winchester, and I know your back is aching, you need some proper sleep Steve' she said firmly, sitting in the back of James' car which was almost at Steve's house, and still in her hospital pyjamas, with a jacket on over them.

'Don't be ridiculous, I'm fine' she looked at him sceptically and slipped her hand round to his beck and pressed hard on the bottom of his spine, he gave a yelp of pain and jerked out of the way. She smirked triumphantly 'alright, alright fine, but only for tonight, and I'm coming straight back in the morning'

'Deal' she said happily shaking his hand and taking the kiss he offered. He grasped the back of her head and bit her bottom lip gently, forcing his tongue inside when she opened her mouth to yelp in pain, silencing her before she could.

'Alright you two, break it up' James said, rolling his eyes and turning around to look at them. They had arrived at Steve's house. Steve opened the door and stepped out.

'Okay I'll see you tomorrow beautiful, I love you' he said.

She smiled and waved 'Okay, I love you too' and he shut the door, making his way up to the house as they drove off, waving to her until they turned a corner and were out of sight. He inserted his key into the lock and slid the door open. Stepping inside he found himself face to face with his mother.

'And where you fuck have you been?'


	23. Chapter 23

_I woulda had this out sooner for you, but I decided to play Left4Dead2 for a while instead, and time got away from me, apologies._

_Anyway, this is it, final chapter. The main storyline ends here, I little weak I think, but you've had you're big impact chapters; this isn't one, that's just the way it ends. _

_As I've said earlier, I'm going to do an epilogue chapter. But if you haven't read the saga please, please do not read it. Even if someone spoiled the saga for you, or you looked it up you can't possibly know everything, and I can guarantee there'll be something in there you don't know about. I know temptation is a bitch, but please wait until you've read the whole thing. I love having readers, but I ask you not to read for your own sake. _

'Oh, you're here' Steve said tonelessly and staring at his mother like she was something he'd stepped it. She was drunk as usual; her eyes and slurred words gave that one away easily. The house smelled strongly of alcohol and cigars, and he could only imagine the fun she'd been having with him out of the way. And considering that, he wondered why she seemed so pissed he'd been away for so long.

'Yes I'm here!' she said, her words slurring as she made to follow him as he darted around her and walked through the dining room to the kitchen, only to find it a mess of empty wine and liquor bottles, endless dirty glasses and half eaten take aways 'exactly where you should have been for the last three weeks, so where have you been?' she demanded in a high pitched screechy voice that made the hair on the back of his neck stand on end.

'Out' he said simply, sifting through the Chinese food containers and attempting to find at least something edible.

'Oh, and I suppose you think you can just up and leave, then come back whenever you feel like without letting me know do you?!' she asked, still following him as he searched the fridge, finding nothing but alcohol and mouldy cheesecake.

'Yeah pretty much' he replied in the same bored voice he had used since getting home. He abandoned his search for food and walked back out into the living room with his mother still hot on his heels. The living room was as disgusting as the kitchen. Most of the floor was covered in a huge red stain which he assumed was wine, and there were cigarette butts littering the coffee table, most of them covered in ash, food wrappers and dirty crockery were scattered across the room 'nice to see you kept the place clean' he muttered under his breath sarcastically.

She faltered for a second, not sure how to reply 'well .. I just won't stand for it boy!' she said finally after a moments deliberation. Steve laughed harshly and turned to look her in the living room doorway, her make up was smeared across her face and her hair needed washing badly.

'Sure you won't' he said dryly, turning again and walking away, back out into the hallway and upstairs. She followed him, screaming more abuse at him, but Steve ignored all of it and locked himself securely in his bedroom a minute later. He was in too good of a mood for her to ruin it any way at all. He had nothing to be down about right then. Apollo was home and well on her way back to the way she was. Her fractures would take a while to fully heal, but her face had now turned a pale green, which meant the bruising was on it's way out and she could walk again without going dizzy and falling over. Her parents were well and truly behind bars and couldn't harm her anymore and the children would soon be coming to live with Lorraine, though they still weren't sure where they would be living.

But by far the most amazing two things that put a smile on his face were the fact that she loved him. And she truly meant it. At first Steve wasn't sure how to cope with her confessing her love to him; he didn't know how to be loved. And when he thought about it, the reason he had yelled at her was because he was in love with her, he just hadn't realised it yet. Of course he knew now that that was a ridiculous reason for yelling at someone, but he had never been in love before, and he was scared of being hurt, so he'd had to hurt her before she'd gotten the chance to do it to him, in a way he was trying to protect himself, but now after almost losing her, he knew he had to be with her, for being without her was just too painful. And the other reason he was smiling, was that now they were officially a couple. He'd plucked up the courage to finally ask her five days after she had woken up, and had been delighted when she had said yes.

*

For a while, it was good. Apollo was still living with James and Lorraine, and the kids were due to be coming home within a matter of weeks. Steve and Apollo were happy. She was still not back in school but was having work brought home for her, and Steve spent as much time with her as he could, returning home at night. He wanted to stay with her, but Lorraine insisted they not sleep in a bed together; Apollo was her baby sister after all, so they spent their nights apart.

*

Steve lay on his bed late one Wednesday night. It was a warm mid March night and his window was open wide, blowing a pleasant breeze into his bedroom. Apollo had finally started back at school and they were looking forward to letting her friends know they were together the following morning. Downstairs he could near the hyenas screeching laughter and the radio playing quietly.

He lay for a while in silence listening to the women downstairs and thinking about the afternoon he and Apollo had just spent together, particularly what they had gotten up to in the shower. He smirked when he thought about it, thankful James and Lorraine had been visiting the kids at the time. She was easily the best thing that had ever happened to him, and he couldn't imagine being without her now. He felt a pang in his chest when he imagined himself introducing her to Darren, which he wished with all his heart he could have done. But, when he thought about it, if Darren had never died, then he wouldn't have become friends with her and none of this would have happened.

The door clicked open and Steve looked up. In the thin beam of light coming in from the landing, he saw Paula creeping into his room wearing her 'sexy' smile. He rolled his eyes.

'Hi Stevie' she said in that sickly little girl voice.

'Hello Paula' he said dryly. She closed the door behind her and flicked her hair back over her shoulder, crossing the room to sit on the edge of his bed. She watched him for a moment and he looked up at the ceiling, refusing to look at her.

'So, why are you hiding away up here?' she said after a while, breaking the silence.

'I'm not hiding' he said simply. She giggled and shook her head, sticking out her chest and making her hair fall over her shoulders.

She placed her hand on his knee. He fought the urge to throw her hand off him; the trouble it would cause with his mother wasn't worth it. So he ignored her and continued to look up at the ceiling.

Her hand slipped up past his knee 'You know Steve, you're a very handsome man' she said, with emphasis on the last word, her hand making its way up his leg. He could feel his blood beginning to boil, and he was desperate to scream at her that he had a girlfriend and she was disease ridden slut, but he resisted.

'We wouldn't want those looks wasted would we' she whispered in what he thought was an attempt at a seductive voice, her hand sliding up to his thigh, his hands were shaking where they were held behind his head.

'Hmm no, not at all' she whispered, now talking more to herself than Steve.

She dove. Her hand grabbing for his crotch and throwing herself on top of him, trying to pin him down and force her tongue into his mouth. Steve reacted instinctively and threw her off him, punching her square in the face as he forced her off him. She fell to the floor with a crash and a cry of pain and outrage. Steve was already on his feet, stuffing clothes into this backpack and tearing out of the door before she had even picked herself up off his floor. His mother was waiting at the bottom of the stairs, grabbing him by the arm. He pulled his arm from her grasp and threw her back onto the floor violently, hitting her head on the door frame.

He tore out of the house and grabbed his bike, throwing his leg over he started to peddle as hard as he could, and didn't stop until he arrived at James' apartment building, exhausted and out of breath ten minutes later. He sprinted up the stairs and within a minute was hammering on their door.

Apollo wrenched it open 'Steve?!' she asked, perplexed but stepping aside to let him in 'what's wrong?' she asked.

He said nothing, gasping for air and simply wrapped his arms around her, resting his head on her shoulder. When he finally regained his breath and was sat on her bed with a soda and Winchesters head rested on his lap, the told her the tale of what had just happened. She listened intently, and held his hand as he told her.

When he was done, surprisingly, she smiled.

'What?' he asked, frowning at her.

'It's perfect' she said, still smiling.

'What's perfect?'

She smiled wider and stood up, motioning to the room around them 'this'

'Your room?'

She laughed 'No you idiot. _This, _this situation we're in'

Steve stared at her 'How is this perfect? I'm homeless'

She laughed and threw herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Winchester gave a yelp of surprise and bounded out of the room.

She pulled away to smile at him 'Lor and James are taking the house, the kids need their home. But I can't, I can't go back there' she smiled even wider 'James has given me the apartment'

The penny dropped 'He's _given _it to you?' she nodded enthusiastically.

'Yes, It's mine' then she situated herself to sit in front of him and took his hands in hers, with a very serious look on her face and said 'Steve Leonard, will you move in with me?'

Steve smirked 'Apollo Hudson, yes I will'

And for a while, it was good.

End.


	24. Chapter 24

I thought I should tell you this part of our story myself. Because ours is one of such sorrow, that you couldn't possibly understand that unless I told you myself.

What you need to understand, before I begin, is that I truly loved Steve. And nothing he did could ever changed that, I had those feelings for him until the very end and still carry them with me now, and they never faltered, not even during the lowest points of our relationship. And possibly, some of the hardships we endured brought us closer, kept us together. Because when you're alone in the darkness, all you want is another soul to hold on to.

And despite what I'm about to tell you, Steve was a good person. I knew it, deep down he was a good person, with a heart and a soul and capable of love. He was just driven by lies, anger and fear his entire life, and nothing good could ever come from that.

And I tried, believe me I tried. I knew the path he was on would lead only to pain and despair, but he was strong minded, and nothing I could do would stop him, and inside I knew I had to leave him to follow his path alone, but I couldn't, because I wasn't strong enough. Because how, just how could I leave the most important thing in my life behind and return to nothing.

But we had our years of happiness, and at least I can be thankful for that. We had a handful of years living together in peace in our apartment, until it all started to change.

*

I remember the night we met the Vampaneze perfectly. The sky was terrifyingly dark when the purple skinned man had approached us out walking the dog. I would have been horrified had I not already known they had existed. Steve had shown me his many vampires' books and over the years I had become convinced they existed. Then we discovered the Vampaneze and Steve became fixated, obsessed even. This was what he wanted, he had the bloodlust and the desire for power, and truthfully I was scared. But I couldn't leave him.

The Vampaneze went by the name of Gannen Harst, and he wanted to speak to Steve. They had already met, and Steve had told him the story of Darren and the vampire. By then I also knew. He told him the story of Darren becoming a vampire prince, and the predicted war between the two sides. He wanted Steve to lie in their coffin of flames, a coffin that only the lord of the Vampaneze would survive being inside.

Steve agreed, instantly. I had been terrified as he stepped up to do it and begged him for many hours not to do so, crying countless tears, but this was what he wanted, and I couldn't take that away from him, as hard as I tried. But when he emerged, everything changed. I was so overcome with relief that at first I didn't realise the impact this would have on our lives and within weeks we were completely different people.

One demand Steve had, when becoming the lord of the Vampaneze was that I came with him. And suddenly, I was second in charge of an unstoppable army. As the lover of their lord, I was worshipped and obeyed as Steve was, and whenever Steve and I were apart, I had an armed guard of six Vampaneze. And in all honesty, I liked it. I enjoyed the power and the control I had over them, though they were all capable of killing me in seconds, none dared even look at me wrong, and I was always referred to as 'my lady' by the Vampaneze.

Within a year I was changed into a half Vampaneze and was living on human blood. I had never been a violent person, but taking those lives, watching the lights leave their eyes as I drained them made me feel powerful, untouchable. And I imagined every one of those faces belonged to my parents, and I felt justice had been served.

But Steve hadn't been turned, and I couldn't understand why. Surely turning their lord was the most important thing? More important than myself anyway. But he wasn't turned, and I soon found out why.

Steve was to return home, without me, and impregnate Darren Shans younger sister. I, was furious.

We rowed about it for days on end, until I gave in. He had to go, this needed to be done. The child would be used as a pawn in the coming war and there was nothing I could do about it. I knew inside that he wouldn't enjoy any of it, because I knew just how deeply he loved me, he would die for me, but that didn't take away the knowledge that he would be with another woman, and nothing could take the hurt away.

The months he was gone were the worst of my life. I had never felt so alone, despite being in a house filled with Vampaneze. We had set up temporary base in an abandoned house, where we would wait whilst Steve was away and plan strategies. But I became a shell of my former self without him there and knowing where he was. I barely slept, plagued by nightmares of him with her and woke screaming, being held down by Gannen and others. I barely drank blood and had to be force fed to keep me alive. I had never felt so much pain before; I craved him and would call out of him during the night. You cannot understand the despair I experienced, unless you experience it yourself. It almost destroyed me.

Then, late one night, a young Vampaneze came to wake me with news, Steve had returned. I had raced from bedroom and downstairs to find him in quiet talks with Gannen, he looked tired, a little wind swept, but he was still my Steve. I threw myself at him, so overjoyed to finally be in his embrace and overwhelmed by the way he held me so tightly and whispered to me how much he had missed me that my anger with him evaporated and within minutes we were in bed together and he was mine again.

Then the war began and it went on for years. We were never a huge part of the fights. Steve was too valuable and Mr Tiny told him that his time would come, and he would never risk sending me out to battle, despite my expert fighting skill.

And when his time did come, years into the war, he had to leave me again, to gain Darren Shan's trust and pretend to be a human. So we parted again for a while, and I went to fight whilst he went behind enemy lines. He was back with me within weeks. I had been in the cavern when Crepsley had died and Steve had revealed himself, though Darren didn't recognise me. And then things got serious. We travelled for months on end, anticipating the battles between Darren and Steve, myself terrified whenever the two former friends met.

And then Steve killed that poor snakeboy, and still I couldn't stop myself from loving him. I knew inside he hadn't wanted it, he didn't kill children, but it had to happen, he needed Darren to feel that rage, that hatred, but he knew he would never kill Darius, his own nephew, Steve's son to Annie. And as we left that place, and the weight of Steve's actions hit us all, we knew the end was near.

It ended that same night. I was left behind to tend to Gannen who was injured and when I finally arrived at the battlefield, Steve was gone.

I howled with pain and loss, grief, sorrow and despair, crying for Steve to come back to me, to stay with me as he promised it would. But nothing could change those events, and I came to understand they were meant to be. And after I while I came to terms with losing Steve and joined Gannen, and Darren's friends in campaigning for peace between the two conflicting sides. And though I knew Steve would never approve, I just couldn't handle it anymore.

After it was all over, I had a long talk with Evanna, who was after all, Steve's half sister. She told me that Mr Tiny was his father and that it was Tiny himself who had made sure I had found my way to Steve, and made sure I fell in love with him. I was told Steve needed me, I was the driving force behind his burning desire for power, he wanted to do it all for me, to keep me safe and happy, to be able to give me everything I'd ever wanted and more. But also to make sure he was filled with rage and anger, which my hospital stay at the hands of my parents had secured. I then understood why I never had the power to leave him when I should have, or the drive to kill as willingly as I did, because Desmond Tiny made it so.

To learn I was a pawn in the twisted game made me feel sick. My entire life had been for the soul purpose of entertaining Mr Tiny. He had put me through all the pain and horror, all for himself. And that's why I had to join the fight for peace, to ruin his plan. I was told of the way he rejected Steve as he had been dying and begging for acceptance, and I wanted him to pay for that. I had to do it, for Steve.

_There you have it, your real ending. Thank you very much for sticking with this until the end, it's been fun and also a huge drain on me, I worked incredibly hard for this story, but it was definitely worth it. _

_I hope you've enjoyed and I hope I did the characters you love justice. I can't thank you enough for your enthusiasm, reviews and support. I hope you've enjoyed it as much as I have, and goodnight. _


End file.
